


Off Guard

by TheReadingNook



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Light Angst, Love, Matchmaking, Romance, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2020-07-25 23:55:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 63,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20034439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheReadingNook/pseuds/TheReadingNook
Summary: The last thing Rey is looking for is love. As a single mom, her plate is as full as she wants it to be, but her son seems to think otherwise. And when he sets out to fill that void, they learn some interesting things about life, love, and the bonds of family and friendship.





	1. Chapter 1

* * *

_Over the course of the average lifetime you meet a lot of people. _

_Some of them stick with you through thick and thin. _

_Some weave their way through your life and disappear forever. _

_But once in a while someone comes along who earns a permanent place in your heart. _~ The Wonder Years

* * *

The sleepy, ten-year-old boy slowly opened his blue eyes and glanced at the digital alarm clock next to his bed. He groaned and burrowed back underneath his covers, pulling them up over his head and tried to drown out the sound of his mother's persistent voice.

No such luck.

"Matthew Kellan! Get your lazy butt out of bed right now! You're going to miss the bus!"

The voice was closer this time and Matt knew that it would only be a matter of time before his mom came into his room. 

"Matthew!"

She was standing right over him this time and before he could respond, he felt the warmth of his covers being jerked off of his body.

"Mom..." he mumbled, grabbing for his pillow to cover his suddenly exposed head. "I'm tired."

But Rey was not in the mood for her son's antics this morning. "Then you should have gone to bed when I told you to last night instead of sneaking downstairs to watch TV," she reprimanded, grabbing the pillow from him and tossing it across the room.

"No one in my class has to go to bed at 9:00," Matt mumbled, once again bringing up the bedtime that he believed was too strict. "It's stupid.

"No, _this_ is stupid," Rey said, ignoring the bedtime remark. She didn't have time to get into that argument with him this morning. "You're in fifth grade and have a perfectly good alarm clock sitting right there next to your bed. I should not have to come in here to get you out of bed."

"So don't."

"You should be responsible enough to get yourself up and ready for school in the morning without me," Rey said, opening the blinds on his windows.

The sunlight poured into his darkened bedroom and Matt groaned again as he covered his face with his hands. He remained in his bed, but couldn't stop himself from opening one of his eyes to look up at her. "I'm sick."

"Get up," Rey said, putting her hands on her hips.

"I really am sick!" he protested, biting back a grin. Having a doctor for a mother, he knew that excuse wouldn't work before the words were even out of his mouth. But it didn't stop him from trying. "Feel my forehead."

"I'm not playing around, Matt," Rey said, glaring at him. "I have an important meeting at the hospital this morning, so neither one of us can be late. Now, get up."

Matt stayed in bed for another minute before he finally dragged his body up into a sitting position. Knowing that his mom wouldn’t leave his room until she saw him walk into the bathroom, he slowly stood up. "One of these mornings, I really am going to be sick," he said, trudging toward his bedroom door. "And then you're going to be sorry."

Rey shook her head at him and turned to follow him out the bedroom. "Just hurry up so you won't miss the bus," she muttered.

"I won't miss the bus," Matt told her before shutting the bathroom door between them.

Twenty minutes later a freshly showered and fully awake Matt bounded down the stairs into the kitchen.

Rey was standing in front of the toaster, using it for a mirror as she hastily applied some lipstick to her lips.

Matt shook his head. "We have a hundred mirrors in this house and you have to do that here?"

"This lipstick was down here in my purse," Rey explained as he pulled open the cupboard door in search of something to have for breakfast. "And this was the closest thing, so get off my case."

"Get off my case," Matt mimicked her as he opened another cupboard. Shaking his head again, he pulled out a bag and began opening it up.

"Cheetos are not breakfast," Rey scolded when she realized what he had chosen.

"It's all we have," he shot back, popping a cheesy snack into his mouth. When she frowned at him, he pulled open the cereal cupboard to reveal an empty space where the cereal and pop tarts were supposed to be. "And even if we did have cereal, we probably don't have any milk." Matt moved over to the refrigerator and opened the door to prove his point. "See? I drank the last of it last night."

"I'm sorry, buddy," Rey apologized quickly. "I forgot to go to the grocery store."

"That's what you said yesterday," he muttered before popping another Cheetos into his mouth. "What about lunch?"

"What about it?"

"Did you make me any?"

"I put twenty five dollars on your school lunch account last week," Rey reminded him, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "Eat lunch at school."

"It's Thursday. They serve fish sticks on Thursday.”

"So?"

"I hate fish sticks."

"You do not," Rey chided. "You love fish."

"I like fried fish, grilled fish, and even that fish stew you make, but I do not like fish sticks," Matt protested, wrinkling up his freckled nose.

"Well," Rey countered. "Don't they serve sandwiches in the cafeteria, too?"

Matt quickly checked the menu that was hanging on the refrigerator. "Peanut butter and jelly. I don't like their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They put too much peanut butter on them."

"Well, you'll survive," Rey said lightly. "Now go get your backpack before you miss your bus."

"I won't miss my bus," Matt said for the second time that morning. "Did you sign my permission slip?"

"Permission slip?" Rey asked absently. Her mind was definitely elsewhere this morning.

"Mom!" Matt cried in exasperation. "My permission slip to go to the space museum. It's due today."

"I thought we already did that."

"You gave me the money but forgot to sign the permission slip," Matt reminded her, pulling the paper in question from the magnet on the fridge. "Mr. Byrnes says I can't go without a parent signature whether I paid or not."

"Well, that doesn't seem fair," Rey said, glancing at the clock on the stove. "Give it to me and I'll sign it now."

Matt rolled his eyes and shoved the permission slip across the counter to her. He watched as she scanned it and then signed her name at the bottom before handing it back to him.

"Okay, you're all set," she said hurriedly, kissing him on the forehead. "Now get out to that bus stop before you miss your bus."

"I'm not going to miss my bus," he grumbled as he pulled on his jacket and headed out the door.

"Have a good day at school!" Rey called after him as he closed the door behind him. "I love you!"

She thought she heard him mutter a response, but she didn't have time to think twice about it. Rey and the staff of Rochester Memorial were being introduced to a new neurosurgeon this morning at a meeting with the hospital board of directors and she couldn't be late. As a neurological pathologist, Rey would most likely be working with him on a lot of the same cases. Which really meant that they would be butting heads as he pushed for surgery and she countered with her drug treatment therapies.

"I was just getting used to arguing with Luke," she muttered to herself as she gathered her coat and briefcase. "I had him right where I wanted him and now they give me some new jackass who thinks he's God's gift to—"

Her little rant was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. She looked up to see her son walking back into the kitchen.

"Don't tell me..." she said with a frown.

Matt looked up at his mother with a sheepish grin on his face. "I missed the bus."

* * *

"Come on, people." Rey impatiently tapped her fingers on the steering wheel of her SUV and silently swore at the line of traffic sitting in front of her. She knew this would happen. There was always a line of parents outside the school to drop off their kids in the morning and she was stuck in the middle of the chaos.

Matt sat in the front seat, flipping through the radio stations as he listened to his mother complain to herself.

"Just open the door and let the kid get out of the car. What's so hard about that? What could possibly be taking so long?"

"Does it make them go faster when you mutter at them?" Matt finally asked, grinning up at her.

"No," she shot back at him with a grin. "But it makes _me_ feel better." She reached over to muss his light brown hair. "Who is the parent here, anyway?"

"Parent?" Matt asked sarcastically. "You’re more like a raving lunatic this morning."

"And you're stuck with me."

"Lucky me," he added, rolling his eyes at her.

It was in moments like these that Matt reminded Rey so much of his father.

"So what's your big meeting all about?" he asked, changing the subject.

"A neurosurgeon from New York City is gracing Rochester Memorial with his presence today," Rey told him with a scowl. "And Dr. Holdo is pulling out all the stops to make him feel welcome. We're having a meet-and-greet type thing and everyone who is not with a patient is required to attend." She moved her car up an inch. "When I started working there, all I got was a cup of coffee from the hospital cafeteria," she added dryly.

"But I thought that Dr. Luke was the brain surgeon there."

"He is," Rey said, looking out her windshield to see what the possible hold up could be. "But this new doctor is younger and he’s supposed to be a brilliant doctor in the prime of his career," she continued, mimicking Dr. Amilyn Holdo, chief of staff at Rochester Memorial. "This is a great opportunity to advance our surgical department and we are lucky to have him choose us."

Matt grinned at her impression. "So, he's better than Dr. Luke?"

"Better than God...or so he thinks," Rey muttered without thinking.

"But I thought no one was better than God," Matt reminded her. 

"Well, apparently someone forgot to tell this guy."

"So, this new doctor is a jerk?"

"Probably," Rey said, inching her car forward.

"You mean, you haven't met him?" Matt asked, looking at his mother curiously. "Then how do you know anything about him?"

"I know his type," Rey said. "I've been working in medicine long enough to know that you don't get to be as infamous as this guy is supposed to be without being an arrogant son of a b—" She stopped when she realized what she was about to say. "Jerk. An arrogant jerk."

But Matt was no dummy. His grin told her he knew exactly what she was going to say. "But Dr. Luke's not a jerk."

"No, he's not," Rey conceded, looking at her son.

"Well, then maybe this guy isn't either," Matt concluded. "Since they have the same job and everything...maybe he won't be a jerk."

She loved his ten year old logic. And she also knew when she had been put in her place.

"Maybe he won't be," Rey agreed. "I should give him a chance, shouldn't I?"

Matt nodded and grinned at her.

"I guess I don't handle change well, Matty. I had just gotten so used to working with Luke and we've developed such a good working relationship and now I have to get used to this new guy."

"Moving back here was a big change," Matt reminded her. "And that turned out okay."

"Yes, it did," she agreed, smiling at him. "How did you get to be such a good kid?"

Matt shrugged off her compliment and reached down to get his backpack when he saw that they were approaching the drop off spot. "Thanks for the ride, Mom," he said as he opened the car door.

"Anytime," Rey replied, leaning over to receive the kiss he planted on her cheek. "Do you think you can manage to be on time for the bus to go home?"

Matt screwed up his face at her sarcasm. "I'm not taking the bus home. I have football practice today after school and Danny's mom is picking us up."

"Right," Rey said, remembering the day's schedule. "Well, have a good day at school and a good practice. I love you."

"Love you, too," Matt said, hopping out of the car. "Sorry if I made you late for your meeting."

Rey waved as he ran up the sidewalk toward the school and then somehow managed to maneuver her SUV to the exit of the parking lot without crashing pinto anyone.

Picking up her cell phone, she dialed the number of her colleague and best friend, Dr. Rose Tico.

"Where are you?" Rose demanded. "I thought we were going over the DuBois case before the meeting with Dr. Godsend."

"And good morning to you, too," Rey said as she joined the line of cars waiting to exit the parking lot onto the main road. "Matt missed the bus and I'm running late. Save me a seat, okay?"

"Of course," Rose said. "Want me to get you a cup of coffee, too? I don't know if we'll make it through this circus without large doses of caffeine."

"Now I remember why I love you so much," Rey said with a grin. "Coffee would be wonderful. Is Hux going to be at the meeting?"

"He's already here. He's meeting with the other members of the hospital board before the staff meeting," Rose said, referring to her boyfriend. Rey could hear the smile in her friend's voice as she added, "We drove in together this morning. It was nice."

"Aww..." Rey teased. "How sweet."

"Don't start," Rose warned. "Just hurry up and get here before—"

"Shit!" As Rey turned out of the school parking lot, she instantly felt her car collide with another. "Rose, I have to go. See you in a bit," she said into her phone as she pulled off to the side of the road. She looked in her driver's side mirror at the silver Mercedes. "Damn, this is all I need today," she muttered, getting out of the car in a huff.

A tall, dark haired man got out of the sports car looking just as pissed off as Rey felt and walked toward her with his jaw set in anger.

"Don't you look where you're going?" Rey demanded, walking right up to the man. Raising her chin to look into his face, she added, "You drove right into me!"

"_I_ hit you?" the man asked incredulously. "I don't think so!" Gesturing to the point of impact between their two cars. "You pulled right out of that parking lot without looking!"

"I did not!" Rey shot back indignantly.

"Well, if you weren't so busy talking on your cell phone and fixing your makeup, then you'd remember what just happened," he said angrily. "You—"

"Talking on my cell phone and fixing my makeup?" Rey interrupted angrily. "Is that some sort of sexist remark?"

"No," he said dryly. "It's an observation."

Rey followed his gaze and felt her cheeks flush as she realized that her cell phone was still in her hand. "Well, I wasn't fixing my makeup," she said lamely.

"Obviously," he shot back, taking a moment to look at her.

"Well, you know what?" she snapped, his remark rubbing her the wrong way. "There's nothing like meeting a _gentleman_."

"Or," he quipped at her snidely. "You could say...running into one."

"Great," Rey sighed. "You're a smart-ass on top of everything else. I already have one of those in my life, thank you very much."

The man stared hard at her before Rey swore she saw the corners of his mouth turn up into a bit of a half smile. He shook his head at her and then went to survey the damage done to both of their cars.

"Look," he said, examining the front bumper of his car. "Let's just forget this ever happened, okay? I'm late."

"So am I," Rey exclaimed, not believing the audacity of this man. "But I know better than to leave the scene of an accident."

"Lady," he said, running a frustrated hand through his wavy hair as he scowled at her. "There’s no damage to your car. Isn't that why you bought that gas-guzzling tank?"

"As opposed to your much better mid-life crisis vehicle?" Rey shot back, not at all sure why they were suddenly insulting each other's cars.

"Mid-life crisis?" he repeated. "I'm barely thirty-five." Shaking his head in disgust, he paused for a moment and then continued in a more even temper, "Look, why don't you just quit while you're ahead? My car is fine, your car is fine and we're both late. So let's just get back in our fine cars and get away from each other?"

"Fine!" Rey said, walking back to her car. “What else can possibly go wrong today?" she muttered to herself as she watched him pull away.


	2. Chapter 2

"Cream, sugar, and a touch of cinnamon. Just how you like it."

Rey smiled for the first time since dropping Matt off at school as Rose handed her a steaming cup of coffee. Wrapping her hands around the cup, she took a sip of the hot liquid and relaxed as she felt the coffee slide down her throat.

"You don't look so good," Rose observed with a frown as they turned to walk toward Rey's office. "I didn't know the parking lot of Discovery Charter was so emotionally draining."

"The parking lot was only the beginning of the story." Rey sighed. "As I turned onto Main Street, some jerk plowed his car right into me."

"Are you okay?" the pediatrician asked, suddenly alarmed.

"I'm fine," Rey assured her with a smile as they reached her office. "And so is my car," she added, pulling her keys out of her purse and unlocked the door.

"Was Matt already out of the car?"

Rey switched on the light and walked over to her desk. "Yes, thank God he wasn't anywhere near the accident. Which is a double blessing, since I put on quite a performance with the other driver."

"What happened?" Rose asked as she sat down on one of the chairs facing Rey's desk.

"He was just a jerk," Rey said, shuffling through her mail. "First he accused me of being a bad driver and not watching where I was going because I was talking on my cell phone and checking my makeup."

"Um, Rey?" Rose began as a smirk started to play on her lips. "You were on the phone with me when—"

"I know," Rey snapped, as if she were disciplining Matt instead of talking to her best friend since high school. "But I can do two things at once. And, for your information, I did look before I pulled out of the parking lot. Mr. Mercedes came flying out of nowhere."

"Did the Mercedes survive?"

"Thankfully there was no damage." Rey finally sat down in her desk chair and sipped her coffee. "Can you imagine? That was a top of the line luxury sports car. The bumper alone would have cost me a large chunk of Matt's college fund."

"So what was this jerk's name?"

Rey shrugged as she took another sip of her coffee

"You didn't exchange information with the creep?" Rose exclaimed.

"He was late, I was late," Rey replied nonchalantly. "And since there was no damage, we simply insulted each other and took off. Frankly, I was glad to get rid of him."

"He insulted you?"

"He made a smart-ass remark about my makeup and called my car a tank," Rey said with a grin. "It was all very adult."

Rose chuckled. "And your response was?"

"I think I called his car a mid-life crisis vehicle. Which was actually more insulting to him than I thought it would be." Rey shrugged again. "I must have touched on a nerve because he couldn't have been more than thirty-five, but he was on the verge of a major flip-out at the mere mention of a mid-life crisis."

"Well, you know what they say about boys and their toys," Rose remarked with another grin. "Men who buy flashy, expensive cars are usually over-compensating for something."

"And so what does that say about Hux and his many sports cars?" Rey teased over the rim of her cup.

"That the man has more money than he knows what to do with," Rose shot back, not taking the bait. "Trust me, there is nothing about Armitage Hux that needs to be compensated for. I am sa-tis-fied."

Rey broke out into a laugh. "I'm completely happy for the two of you, but that is more information than I need this early in the morning."

"Good morning."

Both Rey and Rose turned and smiled at Luke Skywalker as he poked his head into Rey's office and smiled warmly at them.

"Hi, Luke," Rey said. "Come on in and sit with us. Phasma said the meeting is going to start a little late."

"Apparently," Rose drawled as Luke took a seat in the chair next to her. "Our new surgical diva was a little late for his private meeting with the hospital board and has now thrown all of us off schedule."

"The nerve of some people," Luke mused, grinning at Rose.

"You seem to be in pretty good spirits today, Luke," Rose teased, returning his grin. "Considering you're about to be thrown under the bus for this new surgical God who has come down from on high to walk among us mere mortal medical professionals."

Luke chuckled at her assessment of the new neurosurgeon. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"You're plotting to murder him and maintain your place as Rochester Memorial's surgical guru?" Rey guessed with a glint in her eye. She had really grown quite fond of Luke in the last year. 

"No." Luke laughed at his young colleagues. 

"Are you sure?" Rey asked. "Because I'm sure we could come up with a way to—"

"Stop." Luke laughed again, shaking his head. "So, do you want to hear my secret or not? I have been keeping it for over a week now and I'm about to go crazy."

"Well, then you came to the right place," Rey said. "We may look like straight-laced professionals, but deep down inside we're really still just a couple of giggly, gossipy high schoolers."

"I used to change the new neurosurgeon's diapers," Luke said with a smile. "He's my nephew."

Rey and Rose looked at each other in disbelief and quickly ran through a mental list of what they may have said about the new surgeon in front of Luke. They both frowned when they realized it wasn't anything good.

"Luke..." Rey said quietly. "I'm sorry. We've been joking about him all week and had no idea that he was your nephew."

The elder surgeon smiled gently at her. "And how were you supposed to know? I promised Ben that I wouldn't say anything until he got here."

"We've been pretty rotten," Rose reminded him. "But, in our defence, we thought he was coming here to take your job away. We had no idea that he was your nephew."

Rey eyed Luke curiously. "We've worked together for almost a year and you never mentioned him."

"It's complicated," Luke said quietly. “Ben and I have barely spoken at all in the last ten years. Up until about two months ago."

"What happened two months ago?" Rey asked quietly.

"It was Ben's mother, my sister's birthday," Luke said softly, sadness in his eyes. "I went down to the cemetery to put flowers on her grave and Ben was there. I bucked up the courage to ask him to get a cup of coffee with me and we talked for a long time. I told him all about my life here in Rochester and the hospital and with Mara." He smiled gently. "He called me three weeks later and said that Dr. Holdo had called him and offered him the position of chief of surgery. He wanted to know if there would be any hard feelings if he took the job."

"Are there?" Rey asked.

Luke smiled. "I'm going to be working side by side with my nephew who finally seems ready to repair our relationship." He shook his head. "No job could ever give me that much satisfaction. And the truth is he's a better surgeon than I am."

"I doubt that," Rose scoffed, sitting back in her chair. "You're an amazing doctor, Luke."

"Thank you, but it's true," Luke told them seriously. "Look up Ben Solo. He's all over the medical journals for some amazing procedures he has been successful with. And," he added slyly. "He's just as arrogant and as big a pain in the butt as everyone is assuming he will be. Just like I was at his age. So, that's why I laughed along with your jokes."

"But does he have reasons to be arrogant and a pain in the ass?" Rose asked, raising her eyebrow at Luke.

"Yes," Rey answered before Luke could say anything. When the other two looked at her, she grinned sheepishly. "I have come across his name in the neurological journals I use for my research. He did some amazing surgical work with Tourette Syndrome patients and Chiari malformations." She studied Luke for a moment before she smiled. "Well, as much as I'm dreading having to work with someone new, I'm really happy for you, Luke. It's nice to have family around."

Luke smiled in agreement.

"But seriously, tell me just how big of a pain in the ass is he?" Rey asked.

"Big," Luke told her with a wink. "Let's just say that he's not a big believer in drug trials of any kind. In his mind, surgery is the answer to any problem."

"Great," Rey muttered, and quickly continued when she saw Luke opening his mouth. "But I can fight my own battles. So don't think you have to choose sides, okay? I can hold my own."

"I have no doubts about that," Luke said. "In fact, I think my nephew is about to meet his match in you."

Before Rey could say anything else, there was a knock on Rey's office door and Dr. Holdo stepped into the room. "So, this is where the party is this morning."

"I'm sorry, Dr. Holdo," Rey apologized, standing up quickly. "We had heard that the meeting was delayed so we..."

"I'm not here to scold any of you," Dr. Holdo said warmly, smiling at her. "I was just showing Dr. Solo around before the meeting and thought that the two of you should meet. I expect that you will be consulting on quite a few cases together."

"Oh, okay," Rey said, feeling foolish for thinking that they were all about to be in trouble.

"Ben?" Dr. Holdo turned around and motioned to the person behind her, who was still standing out in the hallway. 

When Dr. Ben Solo stepped into the office, Rey's face fell before she could stop herself. "Oh, God...no," she muttered.

"Rey?" Dr. Holdo asked, concern on her face. "Is there something wrong?"

Rey quickly put on her professional face. "No, I'm sorry. I was just surprised to see him, that's all."

"Do the two of you know each other?" Luke asked, glancing between Rey and Ben. 

"Not exactly," Rey mumbled, avoiding Ben's eyes.

"You could say that we..." Ben spoke up, his eyes twinkling as he was clearly enjoying Rey's embarrassment. "Ran into each other this morning."

Rose looked across the desk at her and mouthed the words, "Mr. Mercedes?"

Rey nodded and then looked up at Ben. "But we were never formally introduced." Pasting on a fake smile, she held out her hand. "Dr. Solo, I'm Dr. Rey Niima."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Niima," Ben returned with a smirk as he shook her outstretched hand. "But I must admit that after our first meeting this morning, I never would have expected you to be the neurological genius who has made such advancements in the study of brain trauma."

And just as he had this morning with the makeup comment, Ben Solo worked his way under her skin. Rey pursed her lips and tried to remain calm. "And why is that, Dr. Solo?" she asked.

Rose, recognizing the antagonistic tone in her friend's voice, took the opportunity to step up at that moment and save Ben from saying something they would all regret by saying loudly, "And I'm Dr. Rose Tico. It's nice to meet you, Dr. Solo."

Ben tore his eyes away from Rey and swallowed whatever words were sitting on the tip of his tongue. "I look forward to working with you," he said, smiling down at Rose.

"Dr. Tico is happily dating Armitage Hux," Rey said snidely. "The successful, handsome, undeniably charming member of the hospital board that you just met."

"Yes, I remember Mr. Hux," Ben said smugly.

Rose bit back a grin as Ben slid his eyes back to Rey. "And what about your husband, Dr. Niima? Is he a member of the board, as well?"

"I'm not married."

"Really?" Ben asked in mock surprise. "Well, I almost find that hard to believe. Don't tell me that at least one of the men of Rochester has not been taken in by your obvious charm?"

Rey drew in a deep breath and was about to fire back an insult when Luke wisely stepped in. "So what do you think of our hospital so far, Ben?" he asked.

"Oh, I already have a feeling that I'm going to like it here," Ben said, never taking his eyes off Rey.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are they arguing again?"

Nurse Gwen Phasma glanced up from the computer screen at the nurses' station and rolled her eyes at Rose and Jannah as they approached her. Knowing the 'them' that Rose was referring to were Rey and Ben, she grimaced. "Someone made the mistake of assigning them both to the Henley case."

"They really can't stand each other," Jannah mused, shaking her head. "They have barely spoken a civil word to each other since they started working together."

"Actually," Rose corrected the nurse practitioner with a grin. "I think they like each other more than either one of them wants to admit."

"_Like_ each other?" Jannah asked in surprise. "They drive each other _crazy_."

"Exactly," Rose said with laugh. "That's how it always starts."

Before anyone could respond, the door to Ethan Henley's room opened and Rey walked out into the hallway. "God, you are so infuriating!" she hissed at Ben as he stormed out of the room behind her.

"And here we go again," Phasma whispered. 

Rey approached the nurses' station and handed Phasma the tablet she was carrying. "Here are my notes on the Henley case," she said sharply, obviously annoyed. "Would you please—"

"Were you even listening to me in there?" Ben interrupted, catching up to where Rey was standing.

"Yes," Rey replied, not bothering to look up from reading one of the messages she had picked up from the counter.

"What was the last thing I said?" Ben asked. 

"The last thing you said was: Were you even listening to me in there?" Rey said without missing a beat.

Rose and Jannah turned away to conceal their grins as Ben shook his head in frustration and tried again. "Okay, so you were listening to me, but you're not understanding me."

Finally Rey looked up and turned around to face him. "No," she said in an agitated voice. "I'm disagreeing with you. That doesn't mean I'm not listening to you or understanding what you're saying. I'm doing all three at the same time. Listening, understanding, and disagreeing."

"The medical evidence clearly indicates..." Ben began stating his case again, but Rey interrupted him.

"Dr. Solo, I'm going to make a suggestion which might help you out while you're getting settled around here," Rey said in a haughty voice. "But I don't want this to be mistaken for an indication that I like you or that you and I are friends. Okay?"

"Enlighten me, Dr. Niima," Ben said, crossing his arms over his chest as the frustration on his face melted into an amused smirk.

"As much as it kills you to do so," Rey informed him, ignoring the fact that he was humouring her in the same way that Matt did when he was being cute. "Sometimes you have to allow for the possibility that other people are at least as smart as you are. One of those people happens to be me. Another one of those people happens to be Dr. Holdo, chief of staff of this hospital. And she and I both agree that Ethan doesn't need surgery. End of story," she finished with a glare. "You lost. Deal with it."

"I've heard that the busty, red-headed nurse from OB/GYN is really good at helping doctors deal with their problem," Rose joined the conversation, crossing her arms as she looked at Ben. "Why don't you go and find her, since you're obviously not going to have to scrub in for surgery."

"I've heard that he's already found her," Rey added sarcastically. "On Wednesday, was it? Or was Wednesday the blonde from x-ray?"

"The two of you are very funny," Ben said, eyeing the pair of friends warily. "The hospital's own version of Abbott and Costello."

"We're not being funny," Rose said innocently.

"Jealous, Dr. Niima?" Ben hedged.

"Of what, Dr. Solo?" Rey scoffed, reaching for a tablet and scanning it.

"Of all the attention I'm paying to the other female members of the hospital staff," he drawled, leaning on the counter next to Rey and watching her ignore him. "I mean, it has to be tough to know that you are one of the few—"

"That hasn't had to deal with your annoying come-ons?" Rey asked, glaring at him. "No, Dr. Solo, I am not jealous of that. In fact, if you would pay less attention to me and my patients, I would be much happier."

"Happier than what?" he asked dryly. "I don't think I've seen you crack a smile since I've been here."

"I guess there isn't much about you that makes me smile," Rey shot back, turning back to the tablet, but Ben reached over for the tablet and held it up above her head. Looking up at him and the tablet, she shook her head in disgust. "Dr. Solo, I graduated from high school a long time ago. So I don't have time for these little games of yours. If other women in this hospital think that they're cute, then go play with them and leave me alone."

Ben was about to say something else when Phasma reached up and grabbed the tablet from his hand and gave it back to Rey. "Your uncle needs to see you in exam room 4," she said, shaking her head. 

"And I thought you were the fun one," Ben said. "Be careful, Phasma, if you spend too much time around Dr. Sourpuss over there, she might rub off on you." He shot another pointed look at Rey. "And one of her around here is more than enough."

As Ben walked away, Rose couldn't contain her laughter any longer and had to steady herself on the counter with her free hand.

Rey, completely oblivious to how ridiculous she and Ben were acting, looked over at her friend in surprise. "What?"

"You two are hysterical, do you know that?" Jannah said, while Rose was still catching her breath. "Like a couple of pouty teenagers whose hormones are on overdrive."

"His hormones are always—"

"Whatever," Phasma dismissed any protest Rey was going to mount with a wave of her hand. "I have work to do. Do you think you and Dr. Solo could remember for a moment that this is a hospital and not a nursery school?"

"Nursery school?" Rey asked Jannah, who simply shrugged in response as they watched Phasma walk away.

"Well, you and Ben are acting like children," Rose said. "If you're not arguing over a patient, you're arguing over a surgical procedure or the last banana in the cafeteria. It's getting a little ridiculous." She put a hand on Rey's arm. "What is going on with you? He's actually a pretty nice guy, but you're not giving him a chance at all."

"He is not a nice guy," Rey snapped, a little louder than she had expected. "He is...as his own uncle predicted he would be...a pain in my ass. We're always arguing because he's always being such a jerk. He second guesses my medical opinions, he tries to talk my patients into surgeries without checking with me, and acts as if medical researchers don't even deserve to be in the same building as the almighty surgeons."

"He's only trying to fit in," Rose said sympathetically. "He has a reputation that preceded him and he's trying to live up to it. He's come into a hostile environment and has to deal with doctors who thought they deserved to be chief of surgery instead of him, and he is trying to prove that he didn't get his position here because his uncle is friends with the chief of staff."

"And he's used to the hustle and bustle of a busy Manhattan hospital," Jannah added. "He's probably bored."

"Well, trying to talk my patients into surgeries that they don't need should not be a cure for his boredom," Rey grumbled. "And it was his decision to come to Rochester Memorial, so all the baggage that comes with this job is his to deal with. It's not my problem."

"He is dealing, Rey," Rose reminded her. "And you're not exactly innocent in this. You're still peeved about the accident last week, which is really strange, actually."

"You're usually the first person around to give someone a break when they're having a rough time," Jannah chimed in. "Why is Ben so different?"

Rey slumped her shoulders and shook her head. "I don't know," she said, leaning against the counter. "He just rubs me the wrong way, I guess. I think I'm overdosing on Ben Solo. I try to ignore him, but he's always there. Up in my face, up in my business, and sticking his nose into my cases. Even when he's not there...he's there. I mean, I don't want to talk about him, but he seems to be a popular topic of conversation with everyone at this hospital. In line in the cafeteria I have to hear about how tall and handsome he is, in the locker room I have to hear about how amazing he was in some surgery, in the elevator I have to listen to some woman discuss what a good kisser he is."

"Well, he is cute. And he has done some amazing surgeries since he's been here," Jannah reasoned with a grin. "Now, I don't know about the kissing part, but when you find out, let us know how good it is."

Rey threw her pen in Jannah's direction, watching her duck out of the way. "I'm not planning on kissing him. As you just heard, I'm not his type," she said, then gave Jannah a sly look. "I have a brain."

"So, you_ are_ jealous," Rose surmised with a grin.

"I am not!" Rey denied. 

"Then why did it bother you when he said that you were one of the few women he wasn't flirting with?" Jannah challenged, before turning around and picking up the ringing telephone at the nurses' station.

"It didn't bother me," Rey repeated. "I was just saying that—"

"It doesn't matter anyway," Rose interrupted. "Because he _is_ flirting with you. It's just not the way he's flirting with everyone else."

"Flirting with me?" Rey asked with a frown. "He's annoying me, not flirting with me."

"It's his way of flirting with you," Rose told her matter-of-factly. "You're the only doctor whose files he noses around in, whose office he hangs around, and whose patients he talks to. He knows that his superficial nonsense isn't going to work with you, so he gets you to pay attention to him by annoying the shit out of you."

"And I'm playing right into his hands," Rey moaned, burying her face in her hands.

Rose nodded in agreement. "The universe may not always play fair, but at least it's got a hell of a sense of humour."

"But does the joke always have to be at my expense?" Rey asked dejectedly.

"Don't worry," Rose consoled her as she prepared to go check on a patient. "I have this gut feeling that things will start going your way very soon."

"Thanks," Rey said, managing to flash a half-smile.

"Rey, hold on," Jannah said with a worried look on her face. "You need to go down to the school and get Matt."

"Why?" Rey asked, suddenly concerned.

"Because he started a food fight in the cafeteria."

Rey pursed her lips in anger and glanced over at Rose. "So tell me, Rose, is this an example of how things are going to start going my way?"

* * *

_An hour later..._  
  
When the elevator doors opened, Rey stormed out onto the fourth floor with a dejected Matt trailing right behind her. One look at the little boy's face told everyone that they didn't want to mess with Dr. Niima at that moment.  
  
"Just sit right there," Rey demanded, pointing at the couches in the waiting area. "I'm going to find an empty exam room so that we can sew up your lip. And then you're going to explain to me how this food fight turned into an all out brawl that ended with you sitting in the principal's office with a black eye and a split lip."  
  
"Mom..."  
  
"What?" Rey snapped, her anger blazing in her eyes.  
  
Whatever Matt was going to say, he changed his mind quickly. "Can I get a soda or something?" he mumbled, lowering his eyes to the floor. "I'm thirsty."  
  
"Well, maybe you should have thought about that before you sent your container of milk flying across the cafeteria."  
  
"I said I was sorry," he mumbled again, still not looking up at her.  
  
"We are way beyond sorry, pal," Rey told him sharply. "You got yourself thrown out of school for the rest of the day and I have no idea what I'm going to do with you."  
  
Matt wisely chose not to say anything and instead started to play with the edges of the ice-pack that had been given to him at the school nurse's office. Rey's expression softened a bit as she dug her wallet out of her purse. "Go get something to drink and come right back here," she said, handing him a $2 bill. "I'm not kidding. Don't play around or start wandering into people's offices. Everyone is working."  
  
As Rey headed off to find an empty exam room, Matt slowly wandered back toward the doctor's lounge. When he pushed open the door, he noticed that the only doctor sitting in there was one he didn't recognize and so he didn't say anything. When the doctor looked up at him and raised his eyebrow at the condition of his face, Matt quickly looked away and walked over to the soda machine across the room. He fed his money into the machine and hit the button for a coke.  
  
But nothing happened.  
  
Matt pushed the button again but his soda still didn't arrive. He pushed the button a few more times, applying more force with each push and frustrating the already frazzled little boy. Finally, fed up with the soda machine, he kicked the bottom of it. "Stupid machine."  
  
"Hey, careful there."  
  
Matt turned around to see that the unknown doctor had come up behind him.  
  
"If you destroy the machine, no one will be able to feed their caffeine habits," the tall doctor joked, smiling down at Matt. "And this is a hospital, we have a lot of serious caffeine freaks around here."  
  
"This stupid thing ate my money," Matt explained, as if the doctor hadn't just witnessed the whole thing. "And I don't think my mom will give me more." He looked up at the stranger sheepishly. "She's kind of pissed at me right now."  
  
"Well, let me see what I can do."  
  
When Matt looked up in gratitude, the doctor nodded toward his face. "Rough morning?"  
  
"You could say that."  
  
Matt watched as the doctor took his fist and hit the soda machine just above where the sodas came out and then shook the machine a little. When the coke in question magically appeared in the shoot, he looked down at Matt with a grin. "It's all in the hands, little man. These are surgeons hands and they can fix any of life's problems."  
  
Matt retrieved his soda and popped the top. "Thank you, Dr...?"  
  
"Solo," Ben said as Matt took a sip of his soda. "Dr. Ben Solo. And you are?"  
  
"Matt," he replied. "But when my mom is mad at me my name is Matthew."  
  
"And what about when she's pissed? Like you said she is right now?" Ben asked. "What is your name then?"  
  
"Matthew Zane Kellan," Matt replied, looking down at his drink. "But right now she's so mad that she isn't calling me anything at all, which can't be a good sign."  
  
Ben nodded in agreement. "So what was the fight about? A girl?"  
  
"Mashed potatoes."  
  
"Mashed potatoes?" Ben repeated. "Someone did that to your face because of mashed potatoes?"  
  
"I threw them at a sixth grader," Matt explained. "Except I was aiming for a fourth grader. And instead of throwing some food back at me, the big kid socked me in the eye."  
  
"And what about the lip?" Ben asked with a grin. "Was that because of a turkey sandwich?"  
  
Matt took another sip of his drink and then shook his head. "I don't know who punched me in the mouth. We all just started hitting each other and we ended up in a big pile on the floor. I think someone might have kicked me in the mouth."  
  
Ben raised his brows. "Did you get in a few good punches at least?"  
  
"Yeah," Matt said, his mouth widening into a grin which split his lip even further and he grimaced in pain.  
  
"Here, let me look at that," Ben said quickly, kneeling down so that he was level with Matt's face. "You should let me put some stitches in that for you. It will be pretty quick."  
  
Matt shook his head. "My mom is going to do it."  
  
"Do you think that is such a good idea?" Ben asked.  
  
"She's a doctor."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Matt looked up at Ben with interest. "Are you new here?"

"I just moved here from New York City." Ben smiled. "My uncle works at this hospital. You may have heard of him. Dr. Luke Skywalker?"

Matt nodded. "If you're his nephew, how come you haven't been here before?"

"Well, I was mad at him for a long time and so this is the first time I've ever really been to Rochester," Ben admitted.  
  
"If you're mad at him then why did you get a job in his hospital?"  
  
Ben had to smile at his logic. "I'm trying not to be mad at him anymore."  
  
"That's good," Matt said simply. "I like Dr. Luke." After swallowing another sip of his drink, Matt looked up and asked the inevitable question. "Why were you mad at him?"  
  
Ben sighed. "A lot of stupid stuff." He studied Matt closely. "Do you ever get mad at your dad for stupid stuff?"  
  
The little boy's face fell at the question. "I never met my dad," he said sadly.  
  
Ben felt like a huge ass as he quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Matt."  
  
"He died before I was born," Matt continued in a quiet voice. "From AIDS."  
  
Ben's eyes widened as he suddenly realized why Matt's name had sounded so familiar to him. "Was your dad Zane Kellan?"  
  
"How did you know?" Matt asked curiously.  
  
"Dr. Holdo took me on a tour of the AIDS Memorial wing on my first day here," Ben said quietly. "She's really proud of that facility."  
  
"Dr. Amilyn was my dad's doctor," Matt said softly. "But she's not my doctor. Aunt Rose is my doctor."  
  
"Rose Tico is your aunt?"  
  
Matt shook his head. "She's my mom's best friend, but I call her Aunt Rose. And DJ Canto is my godfather."  
  
"DJ Canto?" Ben asked in surprise. He'd only been in Rochester for a short period of time, but it didn't take long to become familiar with DJ Canto, a prominent business man with questionable morals.   
  
Matt nodded in affirmation. "He's not my real uncle either, but my mom says he was like a big brother to my dad. And he's the one who donated money for the wing and named it after my dad."

Ben chuckled softly. "So, who is your mom anyway?" But before Matt could answer, the mom in question opened the lounge door.  
  
"I thought I told you to come right back to the waiting area," Rey said, standing in the doorway and glaring at her son. "This is not the day to test my patience."  
  
Ben looked at her and then down at Matt. "That's your mom?"  
  
"Yep." Matt nodded, looking over at his mother. "She works here." He looked back up at Ben.   
  
"I know," Ben said, still trying to digest the new information he had just acquired. _Rey Niima had a son?_ And then he remembered that the day of their accident, she had been pulling out of a school parking lot. But she definitely didn't look old enough to have a ten-year-old son.   
  
Quickly regaining his senses, Ben stood up for Matt by saying, "It's my fault that he didn't come back to you right away. We started—"  
  
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Rey interrupted with a sigh. "Well, whatever. Come on Matt, let's go."  
  
But Matt wasn't ready to leave just yet. "Mom, did you know that this is Dr. Luke's nephew?"

"Yes. Dr. Solo and I work together," Rey informed her curious son. "He's the new brain surgeon at Rochester Memorial."  
  
Matt looked up at Ben in surprise. "You're the guy who thinks he's more important than God?"   
  
Rey visibly cringed at her son's recitation of her own words, but Ben surprised her by laughing. "Yes, I guess I am."  
  
"But you're so nice," Matt said in disbelief, before looking at his mother. "Dr. Ben helped me get my soda when it was stuck in the machine."  
  
"Yeah," Rey drawled. "He's a real prince."  
  
Matt looked at his mother strangely but didn't say anything.

"You just caught me on a good day, Matt," Ben said. "I'm not usually this nice." He glanced at Rey. "Just ask your mother."  
  
"Too bad," Matt said with a shrug. "You were pretty good at being nice. Maybe you should do it more often."  
  
"Maybe I should," Ben agreed, still looking at Rey.  
  
Rey was a little disconcerted at being the object of Ben's stare. She looked down at Matt and ushered him out of the lounge. "Come on, Matt. Exam room 2 is open and we can get you stitched up in there."  
  
Before Matt disappeared through the door, Ben winked at him. "She must have calmed down a little. She's calling you Matt again."  
  
"What?" Rey asked, looking at Ben in annoyance.  
  
"Nothing," Ben said as Matt grinned up at him. "It's a private joke."  
  
"Oh, really?" Rey asked, not sure she liked her son and Ben having a private joke between them.  
  
"Don't worry, Mom," Matt said, heading out of the lounge. "It's a guy thing."


	4. Chapter 4

"I didn't know you had a son."

Rey looked up from her research and frowned when she saw that Ben had entered her lab, her private sanctum, with two cups of coffee. "Well, now you do," she said dismissively, going back to her medical journals and hoping he would take the hint.

He didn't.

Instead, he put one of the cups of coffee down next to her and then settled himself on a stool across the counter from her.

"Is that for me?" Rey asked, eyeing the cup of steaming liquid.

"Yes."

"Why?"

Ben chuckled at her guarded look. "I thought you might want it."

"You brought me coffee?"

"Yes."

"Why?" she asked again.

He shook his head at the silly conversation. "It's a peace offering."

"What's in it?"

"Coffee," Ben said with a grin. "Sugar. A little bit of cream. And a sprinkle of cinnamon."

"No rat poison?"

"It is 100% poison free," Ben reassured her. "Would you like some poison? I'm sure you have plenty of good stuff here in the lab that we could—"

"How do you know what I like in my coffee?" Rey asked, interrupting his attempt at humour.

"Rose told me."

"Traitor," Rey muttered. "What did you do to her? She doesn't usually betray me."

"Telling me what you take in your coffee is a betrayal?" Ben asked with a laugh. "I told her that I was going to bring you a cup of coffee and she told me that I should try putting some cinnamon in it," he continued when Rey didn't answer. "She thought it would help break the ice."

"What do you want?" Rey asked, finally pushing her paperwork aside and looking up at him. "Is this about a patient? Or a surgery? Because whatever it is, I'm pretty sure the answer will be no."

"I just wanted to talk to you."

"About?"

"Matt," he said simply. "Why didn't you tell me that you had a son?"

"It didn't come up."

"Don't you think that's kind of odd?" Ben asked curiously.

"Not really." Rey shrugged. "I worked with your uncle for almost a year and never knew that you existed until last week."

"Yes," Ben reasoned, wondering if she had meant to hurt him by telling him that Luke never spoke of him. "But my uncle and I were not speaking to each other during that year. I'm pretty sure that you and Matt have spoken pretty often in the last week."

"Dr. Solo, the only conversations we have ever had have been about cars and patient files," Rey reminded him. "So I really don't understand why you're so surprised that my child hasn't come up in any of those." She absently played with the stirrer in the coffee. "I usually talk about him to my friends. And you and I are not friends."

"True," Ben agreed. "And why is that again?"

"Because I don't like you."

"Right," he said, nodding his head in agreement and watched her play with the coffee cup for a moment. "Are you going to drink that?"

"Why?" Rey asked, unconsciously pulling the cup closer to her. "If I don't, are you going to take it away and use it to try and make friends with someone else?"

"No," Ben said with a smile. "You seem to be the only one around here who I have to work so hard to be friends with."

"That's because I'm the only one around here who you insult with every breath you take."

"Don't be so sensitive."

"Sensitive?" Rey asked, feeling the anger well up within her. "I am not being sensitive. You're constantly messing with me."

"And you give as good as you get," Ben reminded her. "I thought it was our thing."

"We don't have a _thing_, Dr. Solo," she said pointedly. "I don't have _things_ with people who go out of their way to make my life difficult."

"Why do you do that?" 

"What?"

"Call me, Dr. Solo?"

"Isn't that your name?"

"Yes," he agreed. "But I have another name. It's Ben. Why don't you ever call me, Ben?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes, actually, it does," Ben said. "You call my uncle, Luke."

"I like your uncle."

"And you call Dr. Tico, Rose."

"Rose and I have been friends since high school. Calling her, Dr. Tico would just be weird."

"You call Nurse Phasma, Gwen."

"She scares me."

Ben chuckled at her unexpected comical response. "I've even heard you call Dr. Holdo, Amilyn."

Rey finally picked up her cup of coffee and raised it to her lips. "We've known each other a long time."

He raised his eyebrow at her. "And yet you call me, Dr. Solo."

"Yes, I do."

"Why?"

"We already went over this," Rey said, rolling her eyes. "Those people are all my friends. You are not."

"You're drinking my coffee," Ben pointed out as she took a sip of the coffee in question.

"So is that some kind of binding contract between us now?" Rey asked, putting the cup of coffee down. "Because if I had known that this coffee came with strings attached..."

"You love it."

"What?"

"This thing we have between us."

"The insults?" Rey asked, raising her eyebrow. "Yeah, they are really the highlight of my day."

"You love every minute of it," Ben said with a grin.

"You're insane," Rey scoffed.

"Everyone around here adores you," he said, watching her very carefully. "And therefore no one challenges you. But I do. I'm one of the only people around here who doesn't take your word as law. I make you defend your decisions and you secretly love that."

"So, you're a psychologist _and_ a neurosurgeon?" Rey asked. "Are you going to interpret my dreams next?"

"You and I are a lot alike that way," Ben continued, ignoring her snide comments. "We thrive on challenges. And I am a challenge to you, which is why you throw insults and sly comments right back at me. You haven't bought into any of those rumours about my surgical brilliance. You dislike me strictly on principal."

Rey couldn't keep herself from snickering at that comment, because it was partially true. Part of her did dislike him simply for the fun of disliking him.

"And you love having someone around who finally challenges you instead of looking up at you in adoration," Ben continued, encouraged by her response. "So do I. That's why we're so good at insulting each other. And why we keep doing it every chance we get."

"Not everyone around here adores me."

"I beg to differ," Ben countered. "I've only been here a week and I can see it. There's something different about you. It's like everyone around here has you up on some sort of pedestal."

"And you have made it your mission to knock me off of it?" Rey asked, feeling a bit unsettled by his observations. 

"Maybe," he said slyly, enjoying the way that she completely understood him. "But first I want to know why they put you up there in the first place."

"Because I'm brilliant."

"This hospital is filled with brilliant doctors," Ben reminded her. "So I think that there's more to it than that."

"Where are we going with this?" Rey asked, glaring at him. "And more importantly, are we going to get there anytime soon? Because I have work to do."

"I think it has to do with your son."

Rey looked at him strangely. "We're back to that again? Everyone around here has children, Dr. Solo. Why would people treat me differently because of Matt?"

"Because of his father."

Rey stopped straightening up her paperwork and froze, raising her eyes to look at him. "What did Matt tell you about his father?"

Ben immediately knew that he had struck a nerve. But he also knew that he had her undivided attention. "Matt told me that he never met his father."

"He didn't."

"Because he died before Matt was born," Ben paused for a moment before continuing, "And when he told me his full name, I remembered the tour of the AIDS wing that Amilyn took me on and started putting things together."

"How very astute of you," Rey said. "What else did you put together?"

"Just speculations," Ben said quietly. "Why don't you tell me the real story instead?"

Rey pursed her lips and let out a long breath. "Dr. Solo—"

"Ben," he corrected her softly.

She sighed. "Condoms are only 98% effective," she said in an even tone, before looking back down at her paperwork. "I became a teenage pregnancy statistic. Happy now?"

"Why would that make me happy?"

Rey shrugged as their eyes met and held for a few moments. She finally looked away and got off her stool. As she walked over to her computer, she kept her back turned to him and an eery silence filled the room. He figured that her computer was just an excuse for her to gather her thoughts together and so he waited. But when she turned back around a few minutes later, she seemed almost surprised to see him sitting there.

"You're still here," she stated quietly.

"We were in the middle of a conversation," Ben reminded her, furrowing his brows in confusion. "Where did you expect me to go?"

Rey walked back to the counter. "I would've expected you to run away from this conversation," she said coldly. "So go ahead...run. I'll even give you a head start."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because that's what most people do."

"Most people are idiots," Ben said quietly. "But I'm not."

Their eyes locked again and once again it was Rey who looked away.

"Then I guess I misjudged you," she said softly, picking up her coffee so that she would have something to do with her hands. "I'm sorry."

"Did the two of you know?" he asked.  
  
Rey raised her eyes to his. "Do you mean was I infected?"  
  
Ben took a deep breath. "That's not what I asked."  
  
Rey blushed, feeling foolish for leaping to conclusions. "We didn't find out until it was too late for him to do much in terms of prevention," she said quietly. "We thought he had the flu."  
  
Ben closed his eyes, and Rey watched in surprise as he swallowed, his throat tense, almost as if he was absorbing what had happened to her, not just listening. She had never seen someone react quite the same way, and it gave her pause.  
  
"I was lucky," she whispered suddenly, and he opened his eyes, surprised that she was offering information, and he just waited silently for her to continue. "I tested negative," she murmured. "I felt guilty that I had somehow escaped something so terrible and he hadn't cut a single break his whole life, and then it ended far too soon."  
  
"He cut at least one break," Ben said. "If he met you, if he had you with him."  
  
Rey forced a smile to try and keep herself from crying. "Thanks," she whispered. "I hope so." She cleared her throat, hoping to break some of the tension in the room.

"And Matt?" Ben asked gently. "I'm aware that the risk of a baby having HIV is only directly related to the HIV status of the mother, not the father, and that transmission from father to child is very rare, but..."

"Matt is fine," Rey reassured him. "He was born perfectly healthy. It was the one bright spot in a year full of darkness." Tears suddenly filled her eyes and she swiped at them with her free hand. She walked over to the other side of the lab and picked up a framed picture that she kept there. Bringing it over to him, she continued, "Matt was tested negative for HIV at birth, but they put him on AZT for the first six months of his life as a precaution and he was constantly undergoing tests, but it all worked out okay." She smiled sadly. "He's my little miracle. And all that I have left of Zane."

Ben nodded as he looked down at the picture encased in a simple silver frame. It was a photograph of Rey holding baby Matt right after he was born. She looked tired and worn out, but she was smiling lovingly down at her newborn son as a petite woman with large round glasses Ben didn't recognize looked on with pride. "Is that your mom?" he asked, never taking his eyes off the photo.

"Maz is my foster mom and she helped me raise Matt while I was in undergrad and medical school. My biological parents...well, they're a story for another day. I keep that picture here in the lab to remind me that miracles happen every day. And that anything is possible." Rey shrugged. "It keeps me going when I get discouraged about my research or when a drug trial doesn't go the way I planned."

"It happened quick, didn't it?" Ben asked suddenly.

"What?"

"Zane's illness," Ben said, looking at her. "It wasn't long from the time he was diagnosed until he died, was it?"

Rey took the photo back from him and placed it back in its original spot. "Zane was in foster care for most of his life and never had much use for doctors. By the time he was diagnosed, his immune system was already so compromised."

"Did he know that there was a baby?"

"He knew," Rey said quietly, coming back to the counter. "He died only a month before Matt was born. We thought he could hang on a little longer, but..." Her voice trailed off and she looked away as Ben waited for her to compose herself. Finally, she looked back at him and chuckled softly. "He named his son after a church he used to sleep in when he was a kid. St. Matthew's. He said he always felt safe there and he wanted his son to have a name that made him feel safe."

Ben smiled and suddenly didn't know where to take the conversation next. Finally, he said, "Matt's a good kid."

When Rey smiled at his compliment, it took his breath away.

"Yeah, he is," she agreed quietly. "When he's not throwing food around the school cafeteria."

"Those things happen when you're ten," Ben said with a grin. "Where is he now?"

"Serving out his punishment down in the cafeteria," Rey said. "Miss Gracie was only happy to have a little helper around to clean up the tables, stock the shelves, and take the trash out to the dumpster."

"A little manual labour is good for the soul."

"Exactly," Rey agreed. "And it keeps him out of everyone's hair for the afternoon."

Ben nodded and then glanced up at the clock. "Do you realize that we haven't insulted one another once in the last fifteen minutes?"

"Wow," Rey said, also glancing up at the clock. "How did that happen?"

"I think it was the coffee. It works every time."

Rey shook her head. "You feel sorry for me now, don't you?"

"Do you always go from zero to sixty in that short amount of time?" Ben asked, frowning at her. 

She glared at him. "I'm not beloved around here, Dr. Solo. I'm pitied," she said coldly as the icy wall she had built to protect herself was slowly being reconstructed.

"I thought we already established that I'm not most people," Ben reminded her.

"I don't need your pity," she said. "I liked it better when you were insulting me."

Ben watched her go back to her research and realized that the world must not have always been kind to Rey, no matter what kind of a positive spin she put on it. "Right now, I'm feeling a lot of things," he said. "But pity is definitely not one of them."

Rey turned around and stared at him, trying to figure out whether he was just humouring her or not. "What do you want from me?"

"For us to be friends."

"I wouldn't go that far," she said dryly.

"You're a hard nut to crack," Ben said with a chuckle. But he could tell that he had gotten to her so he added, "But I'm going to have fun trying."

"Lucky me," Rey said sarcastically.

"Can we at least say that this conversation was some sort of truce?"

Rey considered his request for a moment. "Until the next time you interfere with one of my patients."

"Deal," Ben agreed as he headed for the door.

"Thanks for the coffee," she called out, then paused for a second before adding, "Ben." 

Knowing that was the best he was going to get from her for the moment and deciding that it was enough, he smiled back at her. "Anytime, Rey."


	5. Chapter 5

"How are the wedding plans coming along?" Rey set her plate of chicken salad and iced tea down on the table where Paige, Rose, and Mara were already seated and smiled down at her friends.

Rose groaned. "And we were having such a nice, peaceful lunch," she said sarcastically.

"Not happy to see me?" Rey said as she settled down in the chair next to the younger Tico sister.

"I'm always happy to see you," Rose said. "It's your topic of conversation that I'm not so thrilled about."

"Is all of this wedding planning beginning to cause distress in the usually harmonious Tico household?" Mara teased as she took a sip of her water.

"My small, intimate wedding is turning into the biggest headache of my entire life," Paige said, her shoulders sagging a little bit as she spoke. "It's a lot more complicated than I thought it would be."

"What's the latest problem?" Rey asked, forking up some of her chicken salad and getting ready to take a bite.

"The bridesmaid's dresses," Paige and Rose said in unison.

Rey and Mara exchanged a look across the table.

"My sister has fallen in love with some yellow bridesmaid's gowns," Rose informed them, wrinkling up her nose in disgust.

"Pale yellow," Paige corrected.

"That’ll look beautiful," Rey said. "Especially since you're using yellow roses as your flowers. What's the problem?"

"Pale yellow gowns will look beautiful on you," Rose exclaimed, waving her hand in Rey’s direction. "But look at me!"

Mara and Rey did as they were told, but didn't see the problem.

"I'm Asian," Rose said, as if that wasn’t obvious, and then frowned as they continued to stare at her in confusion.

"My darling sister believes that she will look like a banana," Paige filled them in, looking pointedly across the table at Rose. "And my wedding day is supposed to be all about her, don't you know? Honestly, it's just a myth that Asians shouldn't wear yellow because it'll clash with their skin tone," she scoffed. "That's like saying, redheads shouldn't wear red or pink."

"I have to make the toast and I plan on writing one of the best toast's in maid of honour history,” Rose said, ignoring Paige altogether. “But no one will be paying any attention to my clever words if they're too busy thinking that I look like something they cut up on their rice krispies that morning."

“Speaking of rice krispies," Mara said, changing the subject. "What have you decided to do about your name?" 

"How did you know about that?" Paige asked, swallowing a spoonful of her minestrone soup.

Mara grinned. "You're marrying my nephew."

"Dominic has a big mouth," Paige muttered. "That was supposed to be a private conversation."

"He thought it was cute."

"Care to fill me in?" Rey prompted, taking another bite of her chicken salad.

"Paige is wrestling with the decision to change her name to Bran,” Mara replied.

"Paige Bran," Paige said, more to herself than to anyone else and then tried, "Professor Bran." Shaking her head, she frowned. “It just doesn't thrill me."

"And she thinks that hyphenating it makes her sound like a breakfast cereal," Mara added, explaining the rice krispies connection.

"Tico-Bran," Rey said out loud, trying it out.

"Doesn't it sound like something we would serve our children for breakfast?" Paige asked, before launching into an impression of a chatty, old woman. "Good morning, dear. Did you sleep well? Would you like a bowl of Tico-Bran for breakfast this morning?"

Rey chuckled. "Why do you have to change your name at all? There are plenty of women who get married and keep their maiden names."

”I kept mine when I married Luke,” Mara said.

"True," Paige said, looking thoughtful. "But I don't want to offend Dominic by not taking his family name. And I definitely don't want to offend his mother."

"Paige, the man adores you," Rose said. "It's actually quite sickening when you think about it. So I don't think you could possibly do anything to offend him."

"I must agree with the banana on this one," Rey said in agreement, grinning at Rose. "Dominic knows that you're as proud of your family name as he is of his. I seriously doubt that he will have a problem with you keeping the Tico name."

"Of course he won't,” Mara chimed in, making it unanimous. "Your independence is one of the things that first attracted him to you and one of the things he loves most about you. I can almost guarantee that he will understand."

"Well, you already know that we talked about him adopting Sophie when we came to you for legal advice," Paige rationalized, referring to her five-year-old daughter from her first marriage. "Won't it confuse her if she becomes Sophie Bran and I—"

"You're creating problems where there aren't any," Mara interrupted, placing a reassuring hand on Paige's shoulder. "Sophie loves Dominic, Dominic loves Sophie and Dominic loves you. As long as you've got that, everything else will fall into place."

"Of course it will," Rose added with a sly grin. "As soon as you choose a new colour for your bridesmaid's dresses." She arched an eyebrow, leaning back against the back of her chair. "I suggest pink."

Paige smiled at Mara in gratitude before glaring across the table at her sister, who playfully popped a french fry into her mouth. "Someone please change the subject," she said, shaking her head. "Before I'm forced to harm my maid of honour."

”Well, I have news,” Rey said.

”Do tell,” Mara said, pouring a little extra dressing on her chef’s salad. “Is it good news?”

”I don’t know. It’s just news.” Rey looked around the table at her friends. “Ben brought me coffee yesterday.”

"The new neurosurgeon you told me about?" Paige asked, while Mara raised her eyebrow as she chewed her bite of salad.

Rey nodded. 

”Was it laced with arsenic?” Paige asked.

"No." Rey grinned. "But that was my first thought, too."

"Why?" Mara asked in surprise. "Ben's such a nice young man."

"Ben Solo?" Rey asked her, taking a sip of her iced tea. "Ben Solo is a nice young man?"

"Yes," Mara said, looking at Rey strangely. "He came up to the house to have dinner with Luke and me. He was funny and polite and perfectly charming."

"Well, he's not funny or polite or anywhere close to charming to me," Rey informed Mara. "He's a big old pain in my butt."

"You're kidding," Mara said, putting down her fork and looking at Rey skeptically. "Because he had such complimentary things to say about you at dinner."

"He talked about me at dinner?" Rey asked curiously.

"Well, he and Luke were talking about the staff at Rochester Memorial and the longest part of the conversation had to do with you," Mara said, taking a sip of her water. "He was familiar with your research and really impressed with your trials on the Henley case."

"He gave me such a hard time on the Henley case," Rey said. "In fact, we're still arguing over that case."

"Well, Luke told him that he was lucky to be able to work so closely with such a talented researcher and Ben agreed that you were better than any of the pathologists he had worked with in Manhattan," Mara informed Rey. "I believe the word genius was used once or twice...and not by Luke."

"Seriously?" Rey asked, clearly stunned. "Because he treats me like some annoying gnat that he'd rather swat at than have to deal with."

"Because he likes you," Rose teased in a sing-song voice. "And now we have the proof. How cute is that?"

Rey furrowed her brows. "What proof?"

"God, Rey, it's just like high school, even I can see that," Rose said smugly, stealing a bite of Rey's chicken salad. "He's finding out stuff about you from his friends, in this case, his uncle, and he's annoying you because it's the only way he can get you to pay attention to him."

"Ben Solo does not have to play games to get women to pay attention to him," Rey reminded them. 

"But he's fascinated by you," Rose said. "Which tells me that he has very good taste. In fact, I think it raises him up a few bars on the potential-guy-for-my-best-friend scale."

"There's a potential-guy-for-your-best-friend scale?" Rey asked.

"In my head," Rose said with a grin. "He's trying to get on your good side, Rey. He wants you to like him."

"Well, he better not be using my son to do that," Rey muttered. "I found him in the lounge with Matt yesterday after I picked him up from school. And apparently, they shared some kind of private joke. 'A guy thing' is what Matt called it." 

"It's cute," Mara said with a smile. "And Matt is a very easy kid to like, so I don't think that Ben had any ulterior motive by talking to him. Plus, Ben's very good with kids."

"He must be," Rey stated, crossing her arms in front of her and leaning on the table. "Because Matt talked to him about his father."

Rose put down her spoon in surprise. "Matt talked to him about Zane? Wow."

"I know," Rey agreed.

"Why is that wow?" Mara asked.

"Because Matt doesn't talk about his dad to just anybody," Rey informed her. "In fact, he doesn't talk about Zane to anyone outside of our circle of family and friends. He's very private about his father."

"Some jerky kid gave Matt a hard time about having a father who died from AIDS a few years ago," Rose said quietly. "So, he's been very careful about who he talks to about Zane. He's very protective of his father's memory."

"How awful," Mara said softly. "It's terrible how some parents pass their prejudices down to their children." She shook her head and looked back at Rey. "But he talked to Ben about him?"

"Just background information, I think," Rey said. "Matt wouldn't really tell me about what they talked about."

"I don't think it's anything to worry about," Paige said reassuringly, instinctively knowing from the tone of Rey's voice that she was concerned about the conversation. "It's good that Matt is talking to people about Zane. He needs to share his dad with people outside of the family."

"That's what worries me," Rey said quietly, looking down at her empty lunch plate. "Ben is a stranger to him and their conversation couldn't have lasted more than ten minutes. But in that ten minutes, he talked about Zane," she paused, and looked around the table. "Do you think it was because Ben is a man?"

"I'm not following," Rose said, her forehead creasing in concern.

"Well, it's no secret that I haven't been in a long term relationship since Jaxon," Rey reminded them. "Do you think he's so desperate for a male role model that he'll reach out to the first guy that pays a little bit of attention to him?"

Paige opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it again. The silence from the other two women at the table told Rey that her theory wasn't exactly without merit.

"That's what I was afraid of," Rey sighed, slumping her shoulders a bit. 

"Well, it's not like he hasn't had any other male role models," Paige reasoned, trying to make Rey feel better. 

"I know," Rey admitted. "But those guys are busy with their own lives to truly make Matt a real priority."

Rose reached over and squeezed Rey's hand. "I don't think Matt has missed out on anything," she said gently. "You're such a stable presence in his life and that's more than a lot of kids have."

"Where is all this nonsense coming from?" Mara asked, studying Rey as if she were a client sitting across the desk from her. "Matt is a great kid. You've made excellent choices where he's concerned—"

"That's just it," Rey interrupted, trying to translate her jumbled feelings into words that made sense to her friends. "They've been _my_ choices. _I_ decided to go to medical school and leave him with Maz. _I_ decided to move us both to London to further my research. _I_ decided that we had been away long enough and that we needed to come back to Rochester. I told myself that I was doing those things with Matt's best interests at heart, but actually it's been all about me." She rested her chin on the upturned palm of her hand. "And worst of all, I've been running away from relationships my entire life. I'm so gun shy about love ever since Jaxon and I broke up. And while that has protected my heart, it has deprived Matt of having a stable male influence in his life."

"Where are we going with this?" Rose asked in concern. "It's not like you were trying to keep men out of Matt's life on purpose. In fact, after the Jaxon fiasco you have been very careful about not letting Matt get too attached to another guy because it was so hard on him when the two of you split up."

"That's what I'm talking about. What if I had dated Mitaka when he was crazy about me all those years ago?" Rey asked, looking at her friends. "What if I had taken a chance with that guy in London that my colleague wanted to set me up with? Maybe if I had let those men into my life...and Matt's when I had the chance, he wouldn't be so starved for male attention now."

"Have you asked Matt if he's starved for attention?" Paige wanted to know. "Because this could all be in your head." She smiled gently at Rey. "Trust me, I know all about being a neurotic mommy. We stay up at nights wondering if we have done everything right while our kids sleep peacefully down the hall without a care in the world."

"And it's possible that he talked to Ben about Zane because he _liked_ talking to Ben," Mara suggested. "Life is much easier when you're ten. You don't always have an ulterior motive for everything you do. I mean, Ben is Luke's nephew after all, and Matt adores Luke."

"I don't know," Rey said quietly. "I think I was just thrown off my game when Ben told me that he knew about Zane, and that Matt had been the one to tell him. And then my psyche just took over from there."

"And if Matt _is_ looking for a male role model, Ben Solo is not a bad one to have," Mara said, and then added quickly before Rey could interrupt. "He's smart and hardworking and saves people's lives for a living."

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

"So, you're back again?"  
  
Matt looked up from where he was stocking cans in the pantry to see Ben leaning in the doorway. "My mom gave me the choice of this or cleaning out bedpans for Nurse Gwen." He wrinkled up his freckled nose. "I figured that cans of tomatoes and fruit cocktail had to be better than bedpans."  
  
"Why aren't you in school?" Ben asked, moving further into the room.  
  
"My principal called last night and told my mom that they were suspending me for another day," Matt said, placing cans of beans on a nearby shelf. "My mom had just started to calm down, too. And then Mrs. Lui calls and tells her that since I started the food fight I had to be suspended for another day."  
  
"Did your mom flip out all over again?"  
  
"She thinks there's something I'm not telling her," Matt muttered, picking up more cans from a nearby box. "So, she grounded me until I tell her the whole story. Which means I'm not going to get to leave my room until I'm fifty."  
  
Ben silently watched him load up some more cans. "Are you telling her the whole story?"  
  
Matt simply shrugged him off and continued with his work, telling Ben that Rey's mothering instincts were right on. The kid was hiding something. "Do you think Miss Gracie is going to give you a lunch break?" he asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Why?" Matt shrugged.  
  
"Because I'm on my break and was looking for someone to have lunch with," Ben said, as he pulled a can of soda and a bag of chips out of his lab jacket and handed them to Matt. "I think the vending machine in the lounge is afraid of me now because it gave me an extra coke this morning. And a bag of Doritos."  
  
Matt looked at him skeptically. "The machine gave you Doritos?"  
  
Ben winked and held up his hands. "I told you...magic hands."

"I don't know," Matt said uncertainly, looking around the room." If my mom or Miss Gracie comes in and I'm not working..."  
  
"You have to eat, don't you?" Ben reasoned. "Your mom may be mad at you, but I don't think she wants you to go hungry."  
  
Matt considered Ben's suggestion for a moment. "Does everyone who works here get a lunch break?"  
  
"It's in the rule book," Ben assured him. "Everyone gets lunch."  
  
Matt drew in a deep breath. "Okay, but let's eat in here. If Miss Gracie sees me in the cafeteria, she'll find something else for me to do."  
  
"Deal," Ben said with a grin, turning over a couple of nearby milk crates and sitting down on one.  
  
"Do you want to know what the worst part of being grounded is?" Matt asked, sitting on the crate next to Ben and opening his bag of chips.  
  
"No TV?" Ben guessed.  
  
Matt shook his head. "Now that I'm grounded, I'm never going to get to play football."  
  
"You play football?" Ben asked in surprise, unwrapping the sandwich he had brought for lunch.  
  
"I'm on a Pop Warner team and I wear the uniform, but I don't actually get to play football."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Matt paused and looked down at his soda for a long time. "I'm not any good," he admitted. "So I just sit on the bench. I'm like a cheerleader who doesn't wear a skirt."  
  
Ben chuckled at the cheerleader comment. "What position do you play when you're not on the bench."  
  
"Quarterback."  
  
"That's cool," Ben said, taking a sip of his own soda. "Quarterback is the glamour position."  
  
"But I told you I'm not any good," Matt reminded him. "I'm a quarterback who can't throw the ball ten feet."  
  
"Ten feet is a good start," Ben said, trying to make him feel better.  
  
"Not when Joel Hyatt can throw the ball the whole length of the football field," Matt remarked dryly.  
  
"Oh," Ben said knowingly, biting back a grin. "And Joel Hyatt is the 1st string quarterback?"  
  
"His dad coaches the high school football team," Matt said. "He could throw a football before most kids could even walk." He shook his head in defeat. "My coach barely remembers my name."  
  
"But this is a Pop Warner league, doesn't everybody have to play?"  
  
Matt shrugged again. "I was hoping that if I practiced hard enough then I could maybe play in one of the last games of the season. But now that I'm grounded, my mom won't let me go to football practice, either. So if I can't practice, then I won't get to play."  
  
"Can't you practice at home?" Ben suggested.  
  
"With who?" Matt quipped. "My mom doesn't play football."  
  
"Don't you have anyone else who can teach you?"  
  
Matt shook his head, munching on a Dorito. "Nope, that's why I'm so bad. Aunt Rose's boyfriend was going to show me, but he's always travelling for work. And I went over to my Uncle DJ's one Saturday so that his bodyguards could show me how to play, but all they did was fight with each other, so I went inside to play video games."  
  
"Did you ask my uncle?" Ben asked.  
  
Matt popped the top off of his coke and looked back at Ben. "Dr. Luke knows how to play football?"  
  
"He's the one who taught me how to play."  
  
"You play football?" Matt asked. "What position?"  
  
"Quarterback."  
  
"You"re a quarterback?" Matt asked in excitement, then raised his eyebrow. "Are you any good?"  
  
"I got a full scholarship to play for the University of Michigan," Ben said, taking a bite of his sandwich.  
  
"You were a Wolverine?" Matt asked, brimming over with excitement. "I love the Wolverines!"  
  
But Ben shook his head. "I didn't take it. I decided to go to Columbia University in New York instead."  
  
"Are you nuts?" Matt asked incredulously, his excitement bubble bursting. "Does Columbia even have a football team?"  
  
"Yes." Ben chuckled. "But I gave up football for medicine."  
  
"But do you still play?"  
  
"I used to play in Central Park with some buddies when I worked in New York City," Ben said. "Nothing serious."  
  
Matt dropped his line of questions and the two ate in silence for a few minutes. Finally, he worked up the courage to ask, "Could you teach me to throw sometime?"  
  
Ben looked down at him and grinned. "Sure. When?"  
  
"Tonight?" Matt asked hopefully.  
  
"Aren't you grounded?" Ben reminded him.  
  
"Oh, yeah," Matt muttered, looking back down at his bag of chips.  
  
"But if you tell your mom why you started the food fight," Ben suggested. "Maybe she'd let me take you to the park to throw the ball around."  
  
Matt seemed to be considering his suggestion for a moment, but then he shook his head. "I can't."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I just can't tell her."  
  
"Is it that bad?" Ben asked, wondering what could possibly be bad enough to cause this kid to willingly miss football practice.  
  
Matt nodded.

"Why don't you tell me first?" Ben said. "I was a ten-year-old boy once with a strict mom and maybe I can..."  
  
"If I can't tell her," Matt said, suddenly angry. "Then why would I tell you?"  
  
Ben wondered what nerve he had just struck inside this kid, so he took a minute to regroup. "It just seems like something you need to talk about and well, I don't have the power to ground you. So, it's kind of safe to tell me, if you want to."  
  
"You'll tell my mom," Matt accused, munching on another Dorito.  
  
"Well, actually, I don't know if you noticed this," Ben whispered. "But your mom doesn't like me too much. So, we don't talk about anything but patients."  
  
Matt looked up in surprise. "My mom doesn't like you? She likes everybody."  
  
Ben rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess I'm just special."   
  
"Are you mean to her?" Matt asked, jumping from angry to surprised to protective so quickly that it immediately made Ben think of Rey's sudden mood shifts from their conversation the day before. "Because if you're mean to her, then I don't want to talk to you either."  
  
Ben was impressed with Matt's loyalty to his mother and doubly impressed that Rey didn't tell Matt about how much she disliked him. After she found them in the lounge, he was sure she would have told Matt to stay away from him.  
  
"I'm not really mean to her," Ben tried to explain. "We just don't agree on some things. And your mother..." he paused for a moment. "It's different with adults, but I promise, if you ask me not to, I won't tell your mom what the fight was about."  
  
Matt was silent again as he munched on his chips. "If you tell my mom," he said quietly. "I'll hate you. I swear I will hate you."  
  
"Okay," Ben said, preparing himself for something big. "Now I know the consequences. And since you're one of my only guy friends here in Rochester, I definitely don't want you to hate me. So, I swear that I won't tell your mom. Your secret will never leave this pantry."  
  
Matt looked up at Ben again and studied his face, trying to decide whether or not to trust him. Something about him must have convinced the boy because he took a deep breath and said, "Joel Hyatt..."  
  
"The quarterback," Ben said, proving to Matt that he was paying attention.  
  
"Yeah," Matt affirmed and then continued, "He's not a nice guy and nobody really likes him. But all the football guys sit at the same table at lunch, so he sits with us. Well, my friend, Aidan forgot his milk money and no one had any extra change to lend to him. I had a milk and a juice, so I gave Aidan my milk." He looked up at Ben. "I already opened it, but Aidan didn't care. He was thirsty."  
  
Ben nodded as he silently wondered where this story was headed.  
  
"Anyway," Matt continued. "Joel saw me give Aidan my milk and he shouted, _"Don"t drink that, Aidan! Matt lives in the AIDS house and if you drink anything he put his lips on...you'll become gay and die from AIDS, too."_  
  
Ben winced as the words left Matt's lips and tried to keep himself from crushing his soda can with his bare hands.  
  
"He was talking about my dad," Matt said quietly, looking down at the floor. "Nobody gets to talk about my dad like that."  
  
"What did you do?" Ben asked quietly, wishing that Matt would look up at him.  
  
"Aidan and the guys told me to ignore him because he was just being a jerk."  
  
"It sounds like you have smart friends," Ben said, suddenly proud of these unknown friends who were smart enough to stand by Matt.  
  
"But I didn't listen to them," Matt confessed quietly. "Because you can't ignore something like that, you know. I just couldn't let him talk that way about my dad. If I didn't do something, kids would start to think it was true. And it's not."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Because you're a doctor and you know about HIV," Matt told him. "But these kids don't know what we know about HIV and they might believe..." His voice trailed off. "I just had to do something."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"I shouted back that it wasn't true and Aidan took a sip of the milk just to show him," Matt said. "But then Joel started yelling about contaminated milk and I just got so mad, I picked up the milk container and I threw it at him. And then I told him that my fork had touched my mashed potatoes, too, so I threw them at him as well. Then all the guys jumped in and started throwing food at him."  
  
"And when did the punching begin?"  
  
"After I threw the mashed potatoes," Matt said. "I hit Joel right in the face, and he got really pissed and ran over and slugged me. And then all the guys jumped on him for hitting me, so I jumped into the pile too. I mean, they were defending me, so I should be in the middle of it, right?"  
  
"Well..." Ben hedged, trying not to grin. He knew he was going to be unsuccessful, so instead he asked, "What about the lip?"  
  
Matt shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't know who did that. Like I told you, it might have been one of my friends who kicked me in the mouth, but I don't want to get any of them in trouble. They were fighting because of me."  
  
"Right," Ben agreed with a nod.  
  
"So, I can't tell my mom the real reason because she'll feel bad," Matt concluded dejectedly, hanging his head again. "But she won't unground me unless I tell her the whole story. And she'll know if I'm lying."  
  
"I think your mom might be cooler about this than you might think," Ben suggested, looking over at Matt.  
  
"Not my mom," Matt disagreed with a shake of his head.  
  
Ben let out a deep sigh and they both sat in silence again. "Do you want me to try and talk to her?" he finally asked.  
  
Matt immediately tensed up. "You promised that..."  
  
Ben held up his hands in surrender. "I won't tell her about the reason for the fight. I'll just tell her that you and I talked about it and—"  
  
"You said that she doesn't like you," Matt interrupted, looking at Ben skeptically. "Why would she believe you?"  
  
"Maybe I could have Dr. Tico talk to her instead."  
  
"Aunt Rose would definitely tell her what the fight was about. They have been friends since forever."  
  
"Does your mom have a boyfriend we could get to help us?"  
  
Matt shook his head. "My mom hasn't had a boyfriend in a long time."  
  
"Oh," Ben said, secretly pleased to hear that. "Well, maybe she would talk to me, if she knew it was about you."  
  
"Do you have a girlfriend?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"  
  
Matt shrugged. "If you don't have a girlfriend, maybe you could be her boyfriend. And then she would listen to you."  
  
"She doesn't like me, remember?" Ben reminded him, raising his eyebrow.  
  
"Oh, yeah," Matt said, but looked up at Ben with a strange expression on his face.  
  
"What?" Ben asked, not liking the look.  
  
"Nothing," Matt said with a grin. "How come you don't have a girlfriend?"  
  
"Can we get back on topic?" Ben asked quickly. "We have to figure out a way to get you out of this."  
  
"Get who out of what?"  
  
Ben and Matt both turned at the sound of Rey's voice.  
  
"Hi, Mom," Matt said, looking guiltily up at Ben as they both wondered how much of the conversation she had overheard.  
  
"Hi, son," Rey drawled, recognizing the guilty look on Matt's face. "What's going on in here?"  
  
"I'm stocking the pantry shelves for Miss Gracie," Matt replied and then gestured to Ben. "And Dr. Ben brought me some lunch."  
  
"Well, I guess we had the same idea," Rey said, holding up the sandwich and juice she was carrying, before looking down at what Ben brought. "But I guess a turkey sandwich and apple juice is not much compared to Coke and Doritos."  
  
"I'm still hungry," Matt said, taking the sandwich and drink from his mother and hoping that she would turn around and leave after making her delivery.  
  
But she didn't. Instead she stood there glaring at Ben.  
  
"He's working hard," Ben said. "So, I thought he needed a caffeine break. And I was on my lunch break, so..."  
  
"What happened?" Rey sneered. "There weren't any nurses to play with, so you came down to talk to someone on your maturity level?"  
  
"Something like that," Ben said with a smirk.  
  
"He was just being nice to me, Mom," Matt said, surprised to hear such nastiness coming from his mother.  
  
"And talking to you about more guy stuff?" Rey asked. "Like plotting how to get you out of trouble?"  
  
Both Matt and Ben looked down at the floor and didn't answer. Rey shook her head as she walked over to her son and tried again. "Matthew, I asked you a question."  
  
"We were talking about football," Ben said, hoping to help.  
  
"I was asking him," Rey hissed, never turning to look at Ben.  
  
Matt looked up at his mom. "We _were_ talking about football. Did you know that Dr. Ben was a quarterback?"  
  
"No, I didn't," Rey said. But I don't understand why—"  
  
"We were trying to figure out how to get him some more playing time," Ben said, not really lying to her.   
  
Rey looked over at Ben with a curious expression and then back down at her son. She knew how much Matt wanted to learn to throw a football farther.  
  
"Did he offer to teach you?" Rey asked Matt.  
  
"Yes," he said slowly. "But I told him that I was grounded."  
  
Rey pursed her lips and looked over at Ben. But before she could say anything else, her pager went off. "Matt, I have to go and check on a patient," she said, looking down at it. "But, we'll talk about this some more on the way home, okay?"  
  
"Okay," Matt mumbled.  
  
Rey ruffled his hair and kissed the top of his head. "Eat your lunch and then get back to work. I don't want you to get in any more trouble."  
  
Matt nodded and Rey left the pantry without another word to Ben.  
  
"There may be some hope, yet." Ben grinned when Matt looked up at him. "Your mom really loves you."  
  
"Yeah," Matt muttered, shaking his head. "But she really can't stand you."


	6. Chapter 6

"Cream, sugar, and a touch cinnamon, right?"

Rey glanced at the cup of coffee that had suddenly appeared on the lab counter next to her. "Do you think you could wear a bell around your neck so that I'll know when you're lurking around?"

"I brought rugelach, too," Ben said, holding up a pastry bag from the bakery down the street from the hospital. "Raspberry-walnut and chocolate filled."

"Did Rose tell you that those are my favourites, too?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Nope," Ben said, settling himself down on a stool across from her, and opened the bakery bag. "Matt did."

"So, is this going to be an every day occurrence? Coffee and snacks? Because if it is...I have to learn to lock the lab door."

"I thought we called a truce," Ben said, popping a chocolate rugelach into his mouth. "Wow, these are good," he said, his eyes widening. 

"We did call a truce. But now, I'm rethinking that decision."

"Why?"

"Because I don't know if I like this unholy alliance you are forming with my son," Rey said, before taking a bite of her pastry.

"There's nothing unholy about it," Ben said, taking a sip of his coffee. "Matt's a good kid. I like him."

"I like him, too," Rey said with a shrug. "It's you that I have the problem with."

"Really?" he asked sarcastically. "Because you are so good at hiding it."

She gave him a pointed stare and then gestured to her coffee. "So, what do you want this time?"

"To come over this weekend."

"Come over where?" 

"To your house."

Her sudden burst of laughter surprised Ben, but it was nice to see her so amused. She was quite beautiful when she wasn't scowling at him.

"Are you kidding me?" Rey asked once she recovered from her laughter. "I can't stand to see you here at the hospital, what makes you think I'm going to invite you over to my house?"

"Because your son wants to learn how to throw a football," Ben said. "And you want him to learn how to throw a football. And, whether you like it or not, you know that I can teach him how to throw a football." He leaned on the counter and smiled innocently up at her. "So...should we say around 1:00 on Saturday?"

"Matt is grounded," Rey reminded him. "So even if I agreed to let you teach him how to throw a football, Saturday at 1:00 is not a good time."

"About that..."

"About what?" Rey asked, beginning to get irritated with him.

"About Matt being grounded..." Ben began, trying to ease into this part of the conversation.

"Yes?"

"I think you should let him off the hook."

"Oh, really?" Rey asked, raising her eyebrow at him. "And why should I do that? So that this little football practice that you've planned can fit into your busy dating schedule? I don't think so."

"It has nothing to do with me or my schedule," Ben said calmly. "You should let Matt off the hook because he's a good kid who is in an impossible situation."

"Are you calling me impossible?"

"No," Ben reassured her. "I'm calling the situation impossible."

"What situation would that be?"

"I can't tell you," he said quietly, knowing that things were about to get a bit more complicated.

"You can't tell me?" she asked incredulously. "I'm his mother."

"Which is exactly why I can't tell you," Ben insisted. "_Because_ you're his mother and there are some things that a ten-year-old boy can not tell his mother."

"But he can tell you?" 

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a guy."

"So this is more guy stuff?" 

"Sort of," Ben said, shifting uncomfortably. "But trust me when I tell you that his reasons for starting the food fight are justified. Some might even call them honourable."

"He told you why he started the food fight?" Rey asked in surprise. "And you're not going to tell me?"

"No, I'm not."

"Why?"

"Because I promised him that I wouldn't."

"You promised him?" Rey sputtered, the anger boiling up inside of her. "He's ten!"

"Rey—"

"And I'm just supposed to trust you when you tell me that he had a good reason for starting that fight?" she interrupted, so angry that she could barely see straight. "Why the hell would I do that? Why would I trust you?"

"Because I'm telling you that—"

"You are telling me squat!" Rey said, raising her voice, not allowing him to finish. "You waltz in here and try to soften me up with coffee and pastries and then proceed to tell me that you know something about my son that I don't? And I'm just supposed to trust you? The man who tries to undermine me and my medical decisions every time he gets the chance?"

"This isn't about work. Or what goes on between us," Ben said quietly, knowing that the conversation was only going to continue to get more difficult. "This is about Matt."

"I can't believe that you would use my son like this. I tried to give you the benefit of the doubt when my friends asked if you would do this, but now I know that I was wrong."

"I'm not using Matt," Ben said firmly, beginning to get a little angry himself. "I would never do that to him."

"Then what the hell is going on here?" Rey demanded. "First I find you talking to him in the lounge, and today the two of you are having lunch in the pantry and talking about football like old friends. I don't understand what the hell you're trying to—"

"He's my friend."

"He's a ten-year-old boy. Ten-year-old boys aren't friends with men in their thirties."

"Sometimes they are," Ben said evenly, trying to keep a tight reign on his temper. "Especially when those ten-year-old boys don't have a father figure around to—"

"Don't you dare say that to me," Rey hissed at him, stopping Ben in his tracks. "I will tolerate you second guessing my medical decisions and I will forgive you for poking around in my files, but I will not stand here and let you criticize the way that I raise my son!"

Ben simply stared at her for a moment and tried to figure out where he had gone wrong in this conversation. Obviously, he had hit too close to home with one of his comments and he never meant to do that. So, he tried to fix it by telling her quietly, "I would never do that. I would never criticize the way you're raising Matt."

Rey was not prepared for the gentleness in his eyes or the softness of his tone as he said those words, so she turned away and tried to get her anger under control.

"Matt is an amazing kid," Ben continued softly, allowing her a few moments to compose herself. "He's smart and funny and friendly and compassionate and loyal, and he adores his mom. You did that. You raised him to be the amazing kid that he is. And I don't want to mess with that. I just want to help."

"Why?" Rey asked quietly, her voice catching in her throat.

"I don't know," Ben answered truthfully. "There's just something about him. He's just trying to get through life under really unfair circumstances." He came around the counter to stand closer to her. "Being ten is hard. And being ten without a man around to talk to about things, like food fights and bullies on the football team, is even harder. But I've been there. I know what he's going through and I can help. If you'll let me."

"But why you?" Rey muttered, looking up at him.

Ben lifted his shoulders. "I was just in the right place at the right time, I guess."

Rey moved away from him to sit in a nearby chair. "Did he really have a good reason to start that fight? Was it because of that Joel what's-his-name?"

"I can't tell you that," Ben said again, but this time with a smile. "But believe me, Joel what's-his-name had it coming."

Rey shook her head. "I don't like not knowing things about my own kid," she admitted quietly.

"You know the stuff that's really important," Ben reminded her. "This was just one food fight."

"I still don't like not knowing," Rey repeated, looking up at him. "Was it about a girl? Because I don't think I'm ready for him and girls yet."

"I'm not going to tell you," Ben said with a shake of his head. "I promised."

"Well, I have to admire your loyalty to him," she admitted. "Even if it's at my expense."

"Thank you."

"Ben..." Rey began, but stopped when she was unsure of what to say next.

"What?"

"It's just..." she started again, picking up a framed photo of Matt's most recent school picture that was sitting nearby. "He's all I've got. And he's been through so much already."

"You both have," Ben said quietly.

"Yeah, but I'm the grownup," Rey said with a sad smile. "I'm the mom. I'm supposed to be able to handle everything for him, protect him. Like I promised Zane that I would." She took her eyes off the picture and looked up at Ben. "It's not that easy for me to admit that I can't be everything that he needs me to be."

"I won't tell anyone," Ben promised softly.

"I still don't know if I like this," Rey told him honestly. "I mean, you're not the most stable presence. You move along through life without a care in the world and that's fine for you. But when this little fascination that you have with Matt is over, you can't just leave him and move on to another project. He can't go through that again." Ben remained silent as Rey sighed. "But he chose you, for whatever reason. And I guess I have to go along with that." She narrowed her eyes at him. "But you have to promise me that if he tells you something that I need to know, something life altering, then you have to tell me. Because even though you're his friend, I'm his mother."

"You're the mom," Ben reassured her. "I promise."

Ben and Rey exchanged knowing looks and he even thought he saw the hint of a smile playing on her lips. "So...Saturday at 1:00?"

Rey inhaled deeply and then blew out her breath as she conceded, "Saturday at 1:00."

Ben grinned at her and began walking to the lab door. "I'll bring the football since you're providing the yard," he said over his shoulder.

"Well, you'd better eat lunch before you come," Rey called after him, refusing to let him have the last word. "Because I'm not feeding you."

* * *

"What's for dinner, Mom?"  
  
"Spaghetti and meatballs," Rey said, smiling up at Matt as he wandered into the kitchen. "With garlic bread and salad."  
  
"With Maz's secret sauce?" Matt asked, nodding over to the pot simmering on the stove.  
  
"You bet."  
  
"Yum," Matt said, licking his lips as he climbed up onto a stool across the island from where Rey was mixing up the meatballs. "I love spaghetti and meatballs."  
  
"I know," Rey said with another smile. "Did you finish your homework?"  
  
Matt nodded as he reached across the counter and grabbed a carrot that Rey was going to cut up for the salad. "You just have to check my math."  
  
"Did you study for your president's test?" Rey asked, raising her eyebrow at him.  
  
"Mr. Byrnes postponed it until next week," he informed her, munching on the carrot. "We spent a lot of time talking about President Kennedy and we didn't finish the rest of the presidents. I guess President Kennedy was Mr. Byrnes' favourite."  
  
"He was a lot of people's favourite president," Rey said. "Do you want to help me with the meatballs?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Rey pushed the bowl of meat mixture across the counter to him. "Here, you roll these into balls and I'll heat up the oil. Don't make them too big," she instructed.   
  
"I know," Matt said in his best know-it-all voice.  
  
Rey shook her head as she turned back toward the stove and poured some oil into a fry pan. Turning back to Matt, she saw that he was completely engrossed in rolling a perfect ball of meat. "So, I had coffee with Dr. Solo today," she said quietly, watching him closely. "He thinks that I should unground you so that he can teach you to throw a football."  
  
"Oh, yeah?" Matt asked, still concentrating on his meatballs.  
  
"Yeah," Rey said. She could tell that he was trying to hide his excitement and she bit her lip to keep from grinning. She decided to play his game and turned around to check on the temperature of the oil in the frying pan, not saying another word.  
  
"Dr. Ben's a smart guy," Matt finally said. "You should listen to him."  
  
Rey turned back to look at him. "Don't play coy with me, little man. I know you talked to him about the food fight at lunch today."  
  
"What did he say?" Matt asked in alarm, looking up at her with a worried expression.  
  
"Don't worry," Rey assured him. "He didn't tell me any of the secrets that you shared with him."  
  
Rey watched the relief wash over him at her words, as she took the meatballs that he had already rolled, and began placing them in the pan. "But he did tell me that you had a very good reason for starting that food fight," she said, turning back around to look at him.  
  
Matt continued to stay silent.

"And that you can't tell me the reason."  
  
"Mom..." Matt started to say, but then stopped, looking up at her. "I just can't tell you," he said simply.  
  
"You can tell me anything, Matt."  
  
"Not this," Matt said, shaking his head. "I can't tell you this. I would if I could...but I can't. I just can't." He looked at her with worried eyes. "Is that okay?"  
  
_No,_ she screamed silently in her head. _It's not okay. You're my baby and I want to know everything that happens to you. I want to be able to protect you from the things you're too scared to tell me and I want to be able to make everything all right again. That's my job._  
  
But out loud, she said, "Sure, it's okay."  
  
But Matt was a ten-year-old who was older and wiser than his years. And he knew his mother better than anyone. "Are you mad that I talked to Dr. Ben?"  
  
"No," Rey lied with a forced smile on her face. "I'm glad that you had someone to talk to."  
  
"Really?"  
  
Rey turned the meatballs over in the frying pan. "No, not really," she admitted. Taking a deep breath, she looked at him with gentle eyes. "But I do understand that you're getting to an age where you need to talk about guy stuff and that's not always easy to do with your mom. So I'm going to try to be okay with you talking to Dr. Solo, as long as you remember that I will always love you and that I am always here for you. And nothing that you tell me is ever going to change that."  
  
"Okay," Matt said, looking up at her. "And just because I'm talking to him doesn't mean that I don't love you anymore. Some things are just...easier...to say to him."  
  
"Are you afraid that I will get mad at you?" Rey asked, watching him.  
  
"No," Matt said, rolling another meatball. "It's just..." He looked up at her and shrugged. "I don't know. I can't explain it."  
  
Rey watched him for another minute. "Okay, then I won't make you explain it. But if you are in any kind of trouble, then I want you to make sure you tell me."  
  
"I will," Matt said, and then looked at her hopefully. "Am I still grounded?"  
  
Rey smiled at him. "Until Saturday at 1:00."  
  
"What's happening on Saturday at 1:00?"  
  
"Dr. Solo is coming over to teach you how to throw a football."  
  
A huge smile spread across Matt's face. "Thanks, Mom!"  
  
Rey smiled back and took the remaining meatballs from him. "But no more food fights. And no more solving your problems by throwing mashed potatoes or hitting people. Promise?"  
  
"I promise."  
  
"And if you're having problems at school that you need to talk about then I want you to find someone to talk to about it with. Me, Uncle Finn, Aunt Paige...someone."  
  
"What about Dr. Ben?" Matt suggested.  
  
"You barely know him," Rey sighed softly.  
  
Matt frowned. "Why don't you like him?"  
  
Rey was busy transferring the meatballs from the frying pan into the pot of sauce, so she didn't answer right away. When she was finished, she turned to look at him. "I don't know. We just didn't get off on the right foot."  
  
"But he's nice to me," Matt reminded her. "And he's Dr. Luke's nephew. Dr. Luke is your friend."  
  
"Yes, he is," Rey said with a smile, putting the new batch of meatballs into the frying pan. "But Dr. Ben is not Dr. Luke. They may be related, but they are two very different people."  
  
"Is he mean to you?" Matt asked, moving to the sink to wash his hands. "Because if he is, then I won't talk to him anymore."  
  
"He's not really mean to me," Rey tried to explain. "We just see things differently. He thinks he's right and I think I'm right, and we can never seem to agree."  
  
"Is that why you were mean to him today?"  
  
"I wasn't mean to him today," Rey said in surprise, looking down at her son. "Was I?"  
  
"Kind of."   
  
"Well, I'll try not to be mean to him when he comes on Saturday," Rey said. "Since he's your friend."  
  
"Thanks." Matt finished washing his hands and then watched as Rey filled up a pot of water for the spaghetti. "He could be your friend, too," he said as she added salt to the water and turned on the burner.  
  
"Who?" Rey asked, distracted by the spaghetti pot.  
  
"Dr. Ben," Matt said. "He's a good friend."  
  
"I already have good friends," Rey said. "I don't need anymore."  
  
"Well, then he can be your boyfriend," Matt responded. "You don't have one of those."  
  
Rey put the lid on the pot of pasta water and looked down at Matt. "Now why would you say something like that?"  
  
"Don't you want a boyfriend?" he asked innocently.  
  
"I haven't really thought about it," Rey said. "Would that be weird for you? If I had a boyfriend?"  
  
"No," Matt told her honestly. "I think I'd like it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because it would make you happy," he said nonchalantly. "Aunt Rose is happy with Hux and Aunt Paige is happy with Dominic and Dr. Luke is happy with Mara. So maybe a boyfriend would make you happy, too."  
  
"I'm not unhappy, Matt," Rey told him gently.  
  
"I know," he replied with a shrug. "But boyfriends take you out to dinner and the movies and to parties where you get all dressed up. Don't you like doing that stuff?"  
  
"I can do all that stuff with my friends and with you," Rey said, looking at him curiously as she took some veggies out of the refrigerator for a salad. "Where is all this coming from?" she asked, setting the salad ingredients on the counter.  
  
Matt shrugged. "I don't know. But I know Dr. Ben doesn't have a girlfriend and you don't have a boyfriend. So maybe you should be boyfriend and girlfriend together."  
  
"It doesn't work that way, sweetie." Rey smiled. "You don't become someone's girlfriend just because they don't have one. You have to like each other and have things in common."  
  
"You and Dr. Ben are both doctors," he reminded her. "You have that in common."  
  
"He’s not going to be my boyfriend," Rey said, taking out a knife to cut up the vegetables. "Case closed. Now drop it."  
  
Matt shrugged and grabbed another carrot off the counter as he climbed back up onto the stool to watch her chop vegetables. "Did you know that Dr. Ben was a quarterback?"  
  
"You told me."   
  
"He almost played for the Wolverines," Matt added, clearly impressed.  
  
"Impressive," she said, peeling the outer skin off of a cucumber. "What else did the two of you talk about?"  
  
"Dr. Luke taught him how to play football before he got mad at him."  
  
"He told you that he was mad at Dr. Luke?" Rey asked in surprise.  
  
"Yeah, he said it was about stupid stuff," Matt replied, chomping down on his carrot. "That's when he asked about my dad."  
  
"And what did you tell him?" she asked carefully.  
  
"I told him that Dad died from AIDS."  
  
Rey put down her chopping knife and looked at him. "Wow, that was a big step for you."  
  
"Yeah," Matt said quietly, looking down at the counter. "I didn't have to tell him...I mean, he didn't ask what Dad died of. I just kind of told him."  
  
"Why do you think you did that?" Rey asked. "Because you don't normally talk about your dad's death with people you don't know."  
  
"He was being nice to me." Matt shrugged. "And he's a doctor. He knows things about AIDS and HIV. He's not stupid like the kids at school, so I didn't think he would tease me."  
  
"And he didn't, did he?" she asked softly, willing the tears not to come into her eyes.  
  
Matt shook his head. "He kept talking to me after that. Sometimes people stop talking to me after they learn about Dad."  
  
"That was really nice of him," Rey said. "Is that why you told him about the food fight?"  
  
"Yeah," Matt admitted. "It just kind of came out, too. We were talking about football and he told me that if I told you about the food fight then he might be able to teach me how to throw a football. But then I told him that I couldn't tell you and he asked me to tell him instead so that he could talk to you about it."  
  
"So, he tried to get you to tell me about the food fight?" Rey asked, a little surprised by that bit of information.  
  
"Yeah," Matt said again. "He said you might be cooler about it than I thought, but I told him that I couldn't tell you. That's when he offered to talk to you for me."  
  
Rey nodded and went back to chopping her vegetables, wondering just exactly who the real Ben Solo was. Was he the arrogant neurosurgeon who undermined her medical decisions? Or was he the understanding friend who brought her son lunch in a pantry?  
  
"He brought you coffee today," Matt said suddenly, interrupting her thoughts.  
  
"And rugelach," Rey added, giving him a knowing look.  
  
"He wanted to know what you liked." Matt grinned. "So, doesn't that prove he likes you?"  
  
"No," Rey said stubbornly. "It proves that he likes you. He brought me the pastries so that he could talk to me about your grounding."  
  
"But he—"  
  
"Matthew!" Rey said in exasperation. "I'm glad that Dr. Solo is your friend and I'm glad that you can talk to him about things. But he is not going to be my boyfriend."  
  
"Okay," Matt muttered, but smiled secretly to himself because a plan was already forming inside his head. And neither his mother or Dr. Ben were going to know what hit them.


	7. Chapter 7

“Is he here yet?”

“I told you that I would tell you when he gets here.”

“And you’re not going to be mean to him today, right?” Matt called down from the top of the stairs. "You promised.”

“I will be on my best behaviour,” Rey said, as she opened up the broom closet and pulled out the vacuum. A few minutes later, she heard the rumblings of Matt’s feet as he ran down the stairs. “Don’t you think you’re a little overdressed to play football?” she asked, looking him over.

Matt looked down at his cargo pants, t-shirt, and camp shirt and then looked back at his mother. “I thought the three of us could go to Swillburger afterwards and get burgers.”

“I already told Dr. Solo that I wasn't going to feed him,” Rey said, pushing the vacuum into the family room.

“You don’t have to feed him, because Brian will feed all of us,” Matt said, then watched her for a minute. “What are you doing?”

"I'm cleaning."

"Why?"

“It’s Saturday. I always clean the house on Saturday.”

“But Dr. Ben is coming,” Matt whined.

“He’s coming to see you, not me,” Rey said.

“But aren’t you going to come outside with us?”

“No,” she answered him distractedly. “I don’t want to learn how to throw a football. And I have to clean the house.”

“But you could watch us,” Matt persisted.

“I can see you through the window,” Rey said, gesturing out the family room window toward their backyard.

“But we can’t talk to you through the window.”

“Matthew!” Rey said in exasperation. “Stop with the nonsense. I have a lot to do today.”

He was quiet for a minute before he scrunched up his nose. “Are you going to wear that?”

Rey looked down at her own outfit of a grey t-shirt and navy blue sweatpants. “I always wear my old sweats to clean the house. They’re comfortable and I don’t mind getting them dirty.”

“Yeah, but you look better in your jeans and that red shirt. And with your hair down and not in a ponytail.”

“This isn’t a fashion show,” Rey said, as she moved to plug in the vacuum. “I’m not getting dressed up to clean the house just because Dr. Solo is coming over. He’s not coming over to see me.”

“But if we go to Swillburger...”

“We’re not going to Swillburger,” she informed him.

“But it would be a nice thing to do,” he insisted. His mother was not going along with his plans at all. “To thank him for coming over and teaching me how to throw a football.”

“We’ll send him a card,” Rey said. “Now go upstairs and change into your sweats. Those are school clothes and you shouldn't wear them to play football out in the backyard.”

“Mom!”

“Matt!” Rey said teasingly.

He checked the clock on the wall and noticed that it was a few minutes past 1:00. “Are you sure you gave him the right address?” 

“Yes, Matthew,” Rey said. “I do know where we live, you know. He probably got distracted while doing his hair. Now, scoot, I have to vacuum this room and you have to change.”

Matt glared at his mother and her uncooperative attitude one last time before he went upstairs to change into his play clothes. He was going to have to figure out a way to get her and Dr. Ben together before the day was over and she wasn’t making things easy for him.

Downstairs, Rey turned on the vacuum and began running it along the floor in the family room. She had almost finished the entire room when she was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Turning off the vacuum, Rey moved to the front door and opened it up to reveal a grinning Ben standing out on her front porch.

“Well, I hope you didn’t dress up on my account,” he greeted her sarcastically, looking over her outfit as she stepped aside to let him into the foyer of the house.

“Look,” Rey said, leading him back to the kitchen. “I promised Matt that I wouldn’t be mean to you today, so don’t provoke me and make me break that promise.”

"Okay," Ben said agreeably, as his eyes scanned the surroundings of Rey's home. "This is a nice place."

"Thank you," Rey said, walking into the kitchen. "Matt should be right down, he's just changing his clothes. Would you like something to drink?"

"No, thanks," Ben said, continuing with the niceties. "I just grabbed some lunch over at the pizza place down the street." Raising his eyebrow at her, he added, "Just like I was told."

Rey smiled at him. "Matt's really looking forward to this. So, thanks for giving up part of your Saturday for him."

Ben wasn't expecting the sincerity in her voice. "I'm looking forward to it, too," he said. "I haven't had time to play football since moving to Rochester. And I like hanging out with Matt."

"Yeah, about that..." Rey said, lowering her voice. "I need to talk to you about this little friendship that the two of you are building."

"I know that you're concerned about someone my age hanging out with your son," Ben told her. "But Matt is no ordinary ten-year-old kid."

"Which is exactly why him being friends with someone like you concerns me," Rey said quietly.

"Meaning?"

"He needs stability," Rey said. "He needs to know that the people who love him are always going to be there for him."

"So, what are you asking me for?" Ben asked, a little insulted by her comments. "A lifetime commitment? We're just playing football."

"Today is just football, but he can get attached to you very easily." Rey looked down at the floor for a moment, then raised her head back up to meet his gaze. "You've been really nice to him and I appreciate that. But your lifestyle doesn't really leave you a lot of room for a friendship with a ten-year-old boy. And I just don't want him to get his hopes up if you're not going to follow through—"

"I understand," Ben interrupted, his voice reassuring. "But, don't worry about it. I'm—"

Rey rubbed the back of her neck. "I do worry about it."

"I know," Ben said gently. "But I'm not going to do anything to hurt Matt. Whether you believe me or not, I really like the kid." He lifted his shoulders. "And his mother is starting to grow on me, too," he added teasingly.

Rey smiled through her worry and shook her head as Matt's feet were heard running down the stairs.

"Hey, Dr. Ben," he called out. "Are you ready to play?"

Ben nodded. "Let's go turn you into the next NFLer, okay?"

Matt grinned up at Ben as the phone rang and Rey moved to answer it.

"You guys have fun," she said, picking up the telephone receiver as Matt and Ben headed out the back door into the yard.

Ben held up the football that he was cradling in his arms. "Okay, first lesson, the key to a good pass is a good grip. You want to spread your fingers lightly across the laces, with your thumb and forefinger making a "U" that cradles the tail of the ball." He leaned down to demonstrate for Matt. "The strength of your grip should come primarily from your thumb, middle and ring fingers. The farther back you can grip, the easier it will be to achieve a spiral."

Matt nodded as he absorbed every word that Ben was saying.

"Now, stand with your feet directly beneath your hips, keeping your non-throwing hip facing the target. Grip the ball solidly with your throwing hand while cupping it lightly with your non-throwing hand. And then as you release, your body should be facing your target so that you get an accurate throw. But don't let go of the ball too soon, that's where you get your distance. Like this."

Matt continued to watch as Ben threw a perfect pass across the yard and then scrambled to retrieve the football. "That was great!" he gushed, running back toward Ben with the football.

"Want to try?" Ben asked.

Matt nodded.

"All right, I'll stand about ten feet away from you and we'll just practice tossing the ball," Ben said. "When you've got your grip perfected, I'll start moving back and see how far you can throw, okay?"

"Yeah," Matt said excitedly, focusing his concentration on the ball. It took a few minutes for him to get the hang of it, but pretty soon he was throwing the ball to Ben pretty smoothly.

"You're a natural," Ben called out, slowly taking a step backwards. "Now, let's see if you can give it a little bit more distance." They continued throwing the ball for about twenty minutes. "You're doing great. You're going to be impressing the girls in no time."

Matt grinned, for he had found his opening. "My mom is a girl."

Ben chuckled as he threw the ball back to Matt. "Yes, she is. And I'm sure she will be impressed."

"My mom's pretty cool," Matt continued, catching Ben's toss and preparing to throw it back to him. "For a girl."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Don't you think she's cool?"

Ben thought for a minute as he moved forward to catch Matt's pass. "She's very cool," he agreed. "For a girl."

"And she's pretty, too," Matt said. "She's cool and she's pretty."

"That's a very good combination." Ben smiled. "You're a very lucky kid."

Matt caught the ball as Ben threw it to him again. "And you're both doctors. So you have a lot in common." He looked down to perfect his grip on the ball. "I bet you have other stuff in common, too."

"Like what?" Ben asked, waiting for Matt to throw the ball.

Matt shrugged after he had thrown the ball. "I don't know...sports? Do you like baseball?"

"I love baseball," Ben said. "I had season tickets to the Mets when I lived in New York City."

"My mom loves the Mets, too!" Matt exclaimed. "I gave her a Mets cap last year for Christmas and she wears it to my games sometimes." He thought for a minute. "Do you like spaghetti and meatballs?"

"Yes," Ben replied, wondering where this conversation was headed. "Why?"

"Because my mom cooks really good spaghetti and meatballs," Matt said, throwing the ball back to Ben. "Maybe you could come over for dinner sometime and she could cook for you."

"Maybe."

"Like tonight?" Matt asked hopefully.

"Sorry, buddy," Ben said. "I have a date tonight."

Matt's face fell. "But I thought you said you don't have a girlfriend."

"I don't," Ben said. "My lady friend and I are going out for dinner."

"Is she prettier than my mom?"

Suddenly realizing where Matt was going with this conversation, Ben stopped throwing the ball. "Matt, are you trying to set me up with your mom?"

"No," Matt said, looking down and kicking some dirt with his shoe. "Maybe."

Ben laughed. "Matt, your mom doesn't really like me that much."

"She does like you," Matt protested, looking back up at Ben. "She thinks it's really nice that you're talking to me about stuff."

"Well, that's good," Ben said. "But we..."

"You said that you think she's pretty," Matt reminded him. "And that she's cool and you have some things in common. So, why don't you just let her be your lady friend?"

"Matt," Ben said quietly, walking toward him. "Your mom is not the kind of woman who wants to be one of my lady friends. She probably wants to be someone's girlfriend."

"So, get rid of the rest of your lady friends," Matt suggested. "And then my mom can be your girlfriend."

Before Ben could say anything else, Rey's voice called out across the backyard for Matt. 

They both turned to see Rey walking across the yard. But it was a very different Rey than they had seen earlier. Gone were the oversized sweats and haphazard ponytail - they had been replaced by a black cocktail dress and soft curls that fell around her perfectly made up face.

"Wow," Ben murmured, unable to stop himself. "I was only teasing about the getting dressed up comment at the door." He grinned. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble for me."

"I didn't," Rey said, trying not to twist her ankle as she navigated the backyard in her high heels. "There's been a little change in plans for tonight," she continued, as she looked at Matt. "I'm going out with some friends and Kaydel is coming over to babysit you."

"Where are you going?" Matt asked in alarm, his plans for a dinner between his mother and Dr. Ben slowly going down the drain.

"Aunt Rose called earlier because there's a party for the hospital board members tonight and Mitaka needed a date," Rey explained, reaching up to fasten one of her diamond earrings to her earlobe. "So, I'm going to Manhattan with Hux, Aunt Rose, and Mitaka."

"Manhattan?" Ben asked.

"Hux has a helicopter," Rey said. "It was a last minute thing. Some of his friends—"

"You're going on a date?" Matt interrupted desperately. "You can't go out on a date tonight."

"Why not?"

"Because we were going to have dinner with Dr. Ben."

"We were?" Ben asked, raising his eyebrows at Matt.

"I told you that we weren't doing that," Rey said, looking down at her son strangely. "But maybe Kaydel will take you out for dinner and..."

"No!" Matt said stubbornly. "It's not supposed to work that way!"

"What are you talking about?" Rey asked.

Realizing that his mother didn't have any idea what he was talking about, Matt pursed his lips and pouted. "We were supposed to go to Swillburger with Dr. Ben."

Rey simply shook her head at him. "Well, Kaydel will be here in a minute and you can talk to her about going to Swillburger." She turned to look up at Ben. "Thanks again for coming today."

"No problem," Ben said quietly, slightly unsettled by the fact that Rey was going to Manhattan on a date. Looking like that.

"Well," Rey continued, turning her focus back on her son. ”Mitaka’s driver should be here in a few minutes. So I just wanted to tell you where I was going." She leaned down to kiss his cheek, but Matt turned his head away. She looked at him in surprise. "Are you mad at me?" When he didn't answer, she reminded him, "Weren't you just telling me that you thought I should have a boyfriend to take me out to nice parties? Well, I'm going out to a nice party."

"Is Mitaka your new boyfriend?" Matt asked accusingly.

"He's my friend," Rey said. "And watch your tone, little man. I'm your mother." She sighed softly when Matt refused to look up at her. "Okay, we'll talk about this when I get home. Now, come inside," she said, before turning to walk back toward the house.

Matt continued to look down at the ground as Ben watched him for a moment. "I don't think that was the best way to talk to your mom."

"She's ruining everything," Matt said softly, not looking up at him.

"Ruining what?" Ben asked, confused.

"Mitaka is a viscount," Matt said, finally looking up at Ben with a frown. "This changes everything."

* * *

_The next afternoon..._  
  
"Are you ready for some football?"  
  
Rey looked up from her place on the bleachers on the football field to see a familiar presence descending the metal staircase. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Matt told me that he has a game today," Ben said, stepping down to her row. "I'm assuming that since you're here, that this is the right field."  
  
Rey nodded. "But what are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm here to see the game."  
  
"A Pop Warner football game?" Rey frowned. "You have nothing better to do today than watch a bunch of kids run around on a football field?"  
  
"You're here," he pointed out.  
  
"I'm his mother," she reminded him.  
  
"Well, I'm his friend."  
  
"The game is almost over," Rey informed him, squinting up in his direction. "We're in the third quarter."  
  
"I got lost trying to find the recreation complex," Ben admitted sheepishly. "Your son is not very good with directions."  
  
"Matt asked you to come?" she asked. "Didn't he tell you that he doesn't usually play?"  
  
"Well, you never know what can happen," he said and then nodded down to the metal seat she was sitting on. "Is someone sitting here or are you by yourself?"  
  
"I'm by myself."  
  
"Can I sit with you?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you're the only person I know here." Ben chuckled. "So can I sit here?"  
  
"I wish you wouldn't."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because I find you to be the most annoying human being on the planet," Rey retorted promptly, biting her lip to keep from grinning.  
  
"Well, that's just silly," he said, ignoring her request and settling down on the bleachers next to her. "Have you met everybody on the planet?"  
  
"Why do you ask questions if you're only going to ignore the answers?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously as he sat next to her.  
  
"Is it really going to bother you if I sit here?"  
  
"No, I've gotten rather good at ignoring you."  
  
"Well, ignore away." Ben grinned. "I'm going to watch a football game." They watched the game in silence for a few moments, until the buzzer to signal the end of the third quarter rang and Rey groaned as Ben let out an ear piercing whistle. "Do you come to these games every week?" he asked.  
  
"Hmm...?" Rey tore her eyes from the players and finally focused on him.  
  
Ben smiled softly as he unconsciously reached out to tuck a rebellious strand of hair behind her ear. Rey looked beautiful with her windblown hair and her cheeks and nose tinged pink. "Do you come to these games every week?" he repeated, shaking those thoughts out of his head and trying to ignore the fact that he had just performed such an intimate gesture without thinking twice. When Rey nodded, he asked, "So, you're a big football fan?"  
  
"I don't particularly see the appeal in it, but it obviously makes Matt happy," Rey said, trying to ignore how her body reacted to his touch. "So, here I sit every Sunday afternoon on freezing bleachers and watch little boys in spandex uniforms chase a ball across a field."  
  
"Matt’s a lucky boy. My mom was always too busy with work to come watch me play," Ben said quietly, looking back at the field. "So how was your date last night?" he asked suddenly, changing the subject.  
  
Rey shook her head. "You know, it's very hard to ignore you if you won't shut up," she muttered.   
  
"Come on," Ben goaded her with a smile. "As you pointed out, this is a Pop Warner football game and our favourite player hasn't left the bench. What else are we going to do? So, spill it. How was the date with the viscount?"  
  
"It was very nice."  
  
"Did you get to ride in a magical pumpkin?" Ben teased. "Or lose a glass slipper? Or let him climb up to your bedroom by using your hair as a ladder when the night was over?"  
  
"Will you give it a rest," Rey admonished, shaking her head at him. "Mitaka is a viscount not a prince, and besides, he's very normal."

"So, did he like the dress?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"That little black, sparkly number you slithered into," Ben said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Did he like it?"  
  
"I guess so," Rey said with a shrug.  
  
"He didn't say anything?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Well, that's weird," Ben observed. "Because if I had spent the entire evening next to you while you were wearing that dress, I would have definitely—"  
  
"I have no interest in hearing the end of that statement," Rey interrupted, but couldn't hide the smile that came over her face. For some reason, she secretly liked the fact that he had noticed her dress. And the way she looked in it. ”Mitaka is a gentleman," she continued pointedly. "I'm sure that the things you would say on a date and the things he would say are completely different."  
  
"I'm just saying—"  
  
"Would you stop saying anything, please," Rey interrupted again. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."  
  
But Ben wasn't ready to drop the subject so soon. "It was an interesting dress."  
  
"Meaning?" Rey asked, frowning at him.  
  
"It was an interesting dress," he repeated with a grin and she sighed loudly as she turned back to the game. "I don't think that Matt was too thrilled about your date."  
  
"Matt will get over it," she said, not taking her eyes off the field.  
  
"I don't know. He was pretty upset."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"I'm not quite sure, but he was bummed."  
  
"He's ten," Rey reasoned. "He doesn't—"  
  
"You can't use his age as an excuse for everything he does, you know," Ben interrupted.  
  
Rey finally turned to look at him and bristled slightly. "You aren't seriously going to give me a lesson in raising my child, are you?"  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it," Ben said, and watched as she studied him for a moment, then it was his turn to look back at the field. "So which one is Joel what's-his-name?" he asked, once again changing the subject.  
  
"Number 9."  
  
"Are you sure that kid is ten?" Ben asked after locating the quarterback in question. "He's really good."

"I know," Rey muttered. "That's why Matt spent the season riding the bench."  
  
Ben could hear the disappointment in her voice. "Maybe his luck will change," he said encouragingly.  
  
Rey nodded and then looked over at him. "Thanks again for coming over yesterday to help him. It was all he could talk about all morning. He bragged to all of his teammates about it when we got here."  
  
Ben shrugged off the compliment. "He picked it up pretty quick."  
  
"So, should I start preparing for his career in the NFL?" Rey teased, glancing down at the back of her son's uniform.  
  
"Why not?" Ben asked with a shrug. "I have a feeling that Matt can be anything he wants to be," he paused and then added with a smile, "Just like his mom."  
  
"Why do you do that?"  
  
"Do what?" he asked, not understanding her question.  
  
"Throw in unexpectedly sweet comments like that and make it impossible for me to insult you for the next few minutes."  
  
"You're an easy target," Ben said, secretly thrilled that she'd acknowledged his compliment.  
  
"For the insults or the sweet stuff?" Rey asked skeptically.  
  
"Both."  
  
"I can see why the ladies like you." Rey chuckled and shook her head. "You really are quite charming."  
  
Ben placed a hand over his heart. "Was that a compliment?" he asked in surprise.  
  
"Maybe," she said coyly, glancing back out onto the field.  
  
"It would just kill you to have a normal conversation with me, wouldn't it?" Ben observed, wondering if she even realized that she was flirting with him.  
  
"No," Rey said quickly. "But it might kill you."  
  
"Why?" he shot back. "Are you that bad at conversations?"  
  
"No," she said with a stubborn look on her face. "Because I am that good. I have conversations all the time about religion, politics, art, music, current events - all kinds of interesting topics."  
  
"What makes you think that I can't talk about those things?" Ben asked. "I have a few degrees in my pocket from some really good schools."  
  
"Well, I just assumed that you were out of practice," Rey said flippantly. "Since your recent dates probably consisted of completely interesting conversations about shoes or the weather."  
  
He shook his head at the shot she took at him. "You really don't think that much of me, do you?"  
  
"I try not to."  
  
"Liar."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"No, tell me what that means," Rey insisted, nudging him with her elbow. He just kept smiling at her. Except the look in his brown eyes was making her stomach flutter. But just a tiny bit.  
  
"I think you think of me more than you want people to know," Ben said smugly.  
  
"That's because you're always in my business," Rey said in her own defense. "You and I share a workplace, we share cases, and now apparently we share my son."

"Does that bother you?" he asked seriously.  
  
Rey opened her mouth to give him a smart answer, but suddenly changed her mind. "Not as much as I was hoping it would."  
  
Ben chuckled at her admission. "Sorry to disappoint you, Dr. Niima."  
  
"Just don't disappoint Matt."

"I won't."  
  
They shared a long look before Rey finally tore her eyes away to glance at the field. As the game roared on below them, Ben's leg began doing a nervous jig that caused Rey to glance at him every so often.  
  
"So, why are you sitting by yourself?" he asked, disconcerted by the silence.  
  
"I"m not," she reminded him. "Anymore."  
  
"Why _were_ you sitting by yourself?" Ben corrected.  
  
"I like to just sit here and people watch," Rey said with a shrug. "And eavesdrop," she added with a grin. "Sometimes at these things, you learn more than you ever wanted to know."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"You see that couple there?" Rey discreetly pointed at a couple sitting a few rows away from them and Ben's gaze followed her finger. "Well, he's having an affair with the babysitter and she can eat a pound cake in under a minute."  
  
His sudden burst of laughter was an unexpected, but definitely not unpleasant sound.  
  
"Wow," Ben said with a shake of his head as he recovered from his laughter.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You do have a sense of humour."  
  
"And you can be mildly amusing."  
  
"Don't look now, Rey," he warned. "But I think we're getting along."  
  
Rey grinned at him as the chilly autumn wind seemed to slice through her at that moment and she shuddered unexpectedly.  
  
"Here," Ben said, quickly shrugging off his jacket. "Take this."  
  
Rey shook her head. "No, you need that," she protested. "I'm fine."  
  
And then, unexpectedly, Ben's arm was around her, pulling her close against his body. His sweatshirt was cold from the chill, but beneath it he was as warm as a hot water bottle. The cold air tried to snap at her, but the warmth stubbornly resisted and an unexpected sigh of contentment escaped her lips. But then, as quickly as it had happened, Rey pulled away and stood up with a start. "I'm going to get some hot chocolate, do you want some?"  
  
Ben nodded wordlessly and looked up at her strangely.

"Okay, I'll be back in a flash." Rey lowered her head and walked quickly as she made her way to the concession stand, hands in her pockets. She needed the brisk walk in the cool weather to clear her suddenly cluttered head. _Ben Solo? What the hell was she doing cuddling up to Ben Solo? _After she had purchased two cups of hot chocolate, she headed back to their seats. "So, what did I miss?" she asked brightly, as if nothing at all strange had just occurred between them.  
  
"What number is Matt?" Ben asked, taking one of the cups from her.  
  
"Twelve," she said, raising the cup of warm cocoa to her lips.  
  
"Don't look now," Ben said, grinning at her. "But our boy is going out onto the field."  
  
Rey turned to look out at the field. And sure enough, number twelve was sprinting out into the middle of the huddle. "Oh, my God. I can't believe this!"  
  
"Yeah, Matt!" Ben shouted, his cocoa forgotten as he stood up and started to cheer. "Go number twelve!"  
  
Rey held her breath as she glanced over at the scoreboard. The other team was up by six, but Matt's Huskies were at the five yard line and poised to score. And her son was in the game.  
  
"Do you think they're going to run the ball?" Rey asked excitedly. "Or will they let him throw?"  
  
"I think they're going to let him throw," Ben said, just as excitedly, as he studied the field and tried to tell what play the coach had called.  
  
They were both standing, cheering loudly, as the seconds clicked down on the clock. And as Rey held her breath again, Matt took the ball and did everything Ben had taught him to do. Protected by his linemen, Matt paused, planted his feet, and positioned himself to make an accurate throw to his wide receiver. 

Rey grabbed Ben's arm as the football left Matt's hands and sailed the few yards it needed to land in the waiting hands of his wide receiver. She let out a yelp as the boy took a few steps to his left and fell over the goal line. "He scored!" Rey screamed, shaking Ben's arm in her excitement. "My son helped score a touchdown!"  
  
"Not just any touchdown," Ben corrected, smiling down at her. "The winning touchdown. If the kicker scores the extra point, the Huskies win."  
  
But Rey was no longer paying attention to him. Her eyes were completely focused on number twelve, who was now completely surrounded by his teammates as he received congratulations. She didn't even notice as the extra point kick was perfectly placed. As soon as the buzzer sounded to end the game, she rushed down to the sidelines of the field. Elbowing her way through other parents and players, Rey finally found Matt and scooped him up into her arms.  
  
"I did it!" Matt shouted, throwing his arms around his mother. "I scored a touchdown! We won the game!"  
  
"You were amazing!" Rey said, happy tears filling her eyes as she kissed his sweaty forehead. "I'm so proud of you!"  
  
"It's all because of Dr. Ben," Matt said, smiling over his mother's shoulder. "He taught me how and I told my coach about it, and he let me play." He let go of Rey and launched himself at Ben as he repeated happily, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"  
  
Ben laughed and returned his hug. "You did it, not me. It was all you." As he disentangled himself from Matt's enthusiastic hug, he added, "I think this calls for a celebration. Why don't I take the winning quarterback and his mom out for burgers and shakes at Swillburger?"  
  
Matt turned to his mother, excitement shining in his eyes. "Can we, Mom? Please?"  
  
Rey looked from Ben to Matt and smiled. "Sure, why not."


	8. Chapter 8

"I think you were my good luck charm, Dr. Ben."

Ben chuckled as he pushed open the front door of Swillburger and allowed Rey and Matt to walk in ahead of him. "I've been called a lot of things in my time, but I don't think good luck charm has ever been on that list," he said, following them to a small table.

"Gee, I find that so hard to imagine," Rey said cheekily, settling into a chair.

"Well, I think you are," Matt said, ignoring his mother's sarcasm, as he chose a seat next to Ben and across from Rey. "First, you taught me how to play football. And then when you showed up at the game today, I got put in. And then I threw for the winning touchdown."

"Hey," Rey protested, shrugging off her jacket. "Are you saying that you got put in the game today because Ben showed up?"

"Maybe," Matt said with a grin.

"I was there, too," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but you're there every week," Matt reasoned, looking up at his mother. "And I never got put in before, but Dr. Ben came _this_ week and I got to play."

"I like the way you think," Ben said, looking triumphantly at Rey.

"And I don't get any credit here at all?" Rey asked, pretending to be hurt. "You know, for carrying you in my body for nine months, giving birth to you, and keeping you alive for the last ten years?"

Matt considered her words, cocking his head to the side. "I'll buy you a shake," he offered.

Ben burst out laughing at the exchange as Rey reached across the table to tousle Matt's hair with a smile as Kaydel approached the table.

"Hey, guys," the college student greeted them. "This sounds like the fun table. What's going on?"

"I threw the winning touchdown at the game today," Matt bragged proudly. "So Mom and Dr. Ben and me are celebrating with burgers and shakes."

"Way to go, Matt," Kaydel said, giving him a high five. "That's fantastic." She looked over at Ben and smiled. "Hi, Dr. Solo."

Ben nodded at her, frowning slightly. "Don't I know you?"

"Sort of," Kaydel said sheepishly. "I babysit for Rey. I was just arriving last night when you were leaving."

"I thought you looked familiar," Ben said with a smile.

"So," Kaydel said, pulling out her pad. "It's burgers and shakes all around?"

"Can I get fries, Mom?" Matt asked eagerly.

"Only if I can share them," Rey responded quickly.

"And one large fries," Kaydel said, winking at Matt as she wrote down their order. "And what flavour shakes?"

"Chocolate," all three said at the same time.

"Well, that's easy," Kaydel said with a giggle. "I'll be right back."

As Kaydel headed back to the kitchen, Ben took a minute to glance around the establishment - a combination of a bar, arcade and eatery. "This is a great place."

"Mom and I come here all the time when she doesn't want to cook," Matt said, looking at Ben. "Haven't you ever been here?"

"I've driven by a few times on my way to the hospital," Ben admitted. "But I've never come inside."

"You'll have to come more often," Matt told him. "Everyone's really nice."

"So, Dr. Solo, what do you think of our fair Rochester so far?" Rey asked, leaning back against her chair. "It's a far cry from Manhattan."

Ben shrugged. "I've been working so much that I haven't really had time to see much of the city."

"We'll show you around," Matt said matter-of-factly. 

Ben glanced across the table at Rey and chuckled softly. "I'm going to have to take you up on that offer." His smile widened when she scowled at him. "So anyway, I had dinner at Lucano last night and ran into Rose and her sister."

"Was Dominic there?" Matt asked, and when Ben nodded, he informed him that his mother was going to be a bridesmaid and he a ring bearer because she set up Paige and Dominic.

"Really?" Ben asked with a smirk. "So matchmaking runs in the family."

"What?" Rey asked, looking over at Ben.

“Hey, that’s Alex over by the arcade,” Matt said quickly, changing the subject. “Can I go play?”

“Sure,” Rey said, reaching down for her purse.

“I got it,” Ben said, opening up his wallet and pulled out a ten dollar bill. 

Matt’s eyes lit up at the sight of the bill. “Thanks, Dr. Ben!”

Rey chuckled as Matt ran up to the token machine by the front door. “That was really generous of you. I’m never going to get him out of here.”

“He’s a good kid,” Ben said with a shrug.

“Yeah, you keep saying that,” Rey said, watching her son collect his tokens and head over to join Alex. “I think I’m going to get a t-shirt made for you.” 

“So,” Ben began, when she turned her attention back to him. “How did you go from London to Rochester? That seems like an interesting career change. Most people go the other way.”

“I know,” Rey said with a sigh. “I did it that way the first time around – Rochester to London. But last year, I got hit with a heavy dose of nostalgia on my birthday and started longing for home. Matt and I had been away for so long that I didn't realize how much I had missed it until I got a call from my foster mom. So I started making some calls. Amilyn is an old friend and she offered me a permanent position right away, so it seemed like the right thing to do.”

“Why did you leave in the first place?” Ben asked, nodding up to Kaydel as she set some glasses of water down in front of them.

Rey wrinkled up her nose. “That’s a long story.”

“Does it have to do with Matt’s dad?” Ben guessed.

“No,” Rey corrected. “The guy that came after Zane.”

“Was he in Paris?”

“No, Jaxon was here,” Rey said, taking a sip of her water. “He still is, actually.”

“And things went bad between the two of you?” Ben prompted.

“Very bad,” Rey admitted. “And the worst part was, I put Matt in the middle of it. So after breaking up with Jaxon, I just thought it was time for a change of scenery. I got an offer I couldn’t refuse in London and the rest as they say is history.”

“Wow,” Ben mused. “This Jaxon guy must have really done a number on you to send you running all the way to London all by yourself with a young child.”

“He did, and I put up with it for longer than I should have,” she told him quietly. “He worked for DJ Canto and things got complicated. I became someone that I always promised myself that I would never become. So I took Matt and got out.”

“DJ Canto?” Ben asked, recognizing that name again. “I remember Matt telling me that he’s his godfather?” 

“DJ was very good to Zane before he died. He was like a brother to him. He paid for all the medical bills.” Rey looked down at the table and started playing with the napkin. “DJ was really good to me, too,” she said quietly. “I don’t know if I could have gotten through that time without him.”

“And then DJ started the AIDS wing in Zane’s honour?” Ben asked softly.

Rey brightened up immediately. “DJ donated millions of dollars to get it started and he committed himself to helping find a cure so that no more young people would have to die when their lives are just starting.” 

“It’s impressive,” Ben said and then carefully asked, “Does Matt understand how his dad died?”

Rey nodded. “We’ve talked about it.”

“That’s a lot for a kid to have to deal with.”

”Yeah,” Rey agreed. “I haven’t told him the worst parts yet - the graphic details. I still want to be able to protect him from some things.”

Ben had the sudden urge to find Joel what’s-his-name and his bigoted father and knock both of their heads together. There was no doubt in Ben’s mind that the father had passed his views down to the son.

“Matt reminds me a lot of Zane,” Rey continued quietly. “He’s got that beautiful combination of child-like innocence and wisdom beyond his years that his father had. Which I hope is making Zane happy, because he wanted me to not let anything stand in the way of living life for both of us.” She grinned wryly. “I think Matt is doing that much better than I am.”

“Matt has the luxury of not knowing the things that you know,” Ben said softly. “That probably has a lot to do with it.”

“When Zane was sick, I spent hours watching him sleep,” Rey said. “I sat there trying to memorize every last detail, from the shape of his face to the way his hands felt in mine. I knew those memories would soon be all that I had left to give to Matt. And to keep for myself.” Her voice got emotional and she took a moment to breathe. “It’s always been me and him against the world,” she continued with a smile, looking over her shoulder to where Matt was playing pinball. “But I sometimes wonder if all my baggage hasn’t caused him to miss out on some things. My fears still hold me back from so many things, and I get a little over-protective.”

“Really?” Ben asked teasingly. “I hadn’t noticed.”

She nodded her head and chuckled as she looked back at him. “I’m not the same girl you would have met eleven years ago.”

“Oh, yeah?” Ben asked with a grin, going along with her sudden change of topic. “But I have a feeling that girl would have been a lot less fascinating.”

“Fascinating?” Rey asked, glad to be back on the safe ground of verbal sparring. The emotional connection she was beginning to feel toward Ben was leaving her more than a little unsettled. “Is that a new word for annoying?”

“I never called you annoying,” he said, his eyes widening. “To your face.”

She laughed. “I guess we got off on the wrong foot.”

“To say the least,” Ben agreed. “So, should we start over? As friends?”

Rey smiled. “I think that would make Matt very happy.”

“And what about his mother?” Ben asked, his eyes crinkling. “Would that make you very happy?”

“That depends on your definition of happy,” Rey said softly. 

“Well, I don’t think that I can tell you that while your son is around,” Ben teased, lowering his voice and leaning across the table toward her. “But, if you want to—“

“Stop, right there,” Rey said, holding up her hand. “Just because we’re friends does not mean that we are going to become...” She searched for the right word and was alarmed to find herself at a loss.

“Hmm?” he asked, eyeing her with an amused grin.

“I'm not...” she started again and then paused before finally saying, “This is not a sexual thing.”

“Oh, really?” Ben asked, raising his eyebrow at her with that grin still plastered on his face. “Would you recognize a sexual thing if you fell over one?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“How long has it been?” 

“That is none of your business,” Rey said, affronted.

“That long?” Ben asked with a laugh, enjoying her reaction. “Now that is unexpected.”

“Why?”

“Come on, Rey,” Ben chided. “You’re a beautiful woman who is—“

“A single mother,” Rey finished for him, not joking anymore. “Trust me, I come with more baggage than most men want to even think about unpacking.”

“Most men are idiots.” 

“I agree with you there.”

Ben let his gaze slide over to where Matt was still playing arcade games. “I’m actually quite fond of your baggage.”

The sincerity in his voice brought Rey crashing back to earth and she suddenly felt uncomfortable. Ben was dangerous for her. He was just charming enough to get past her defenses and just sincere enough for her to begin trusting him. But he was also a man who enjoyed his freedom a little too much.

“Ben...” Rey began, shifting in her chair, but before she could say anything more to him, Kaydel appeared at their table with their food.

“I’m starving!” Matt said, as he came back to the table. Popping a french fry into his mouth, he looked up at the two adults. “What were you two laughing about?”

“Hmm?” Rey asked, concentrating a little too hard on her hamburger.

“I heard you guys laughing from all the way over there,” Matt said. “What was so funny?”

“Just doctor stuff,” Ben told him, noticing the sudden change in Rey’s mood.

“See,” Matt said proudly, a grin spreading across his face. “I knew you two had a lot in common.”

* * *

_A few hours later..._

Rey smiled down at Matt as she unlocked the door to their home. “It’s almost nine o’clock, time for you to get ready for bed.”

“I’m not tired,” Matt said, walking over to the hall closet to hang up his jacket.

“Of course you’re not,” Rey said, rolling her eyes. “Because you're stuffed with burgers, fries, chocolate shake, soda, and ice cream. When you come back down from this sugar high, you’re going to end up crashing hard.”

Matt grinned at her and flopped down on the couch, mimicking someone crashing down to earth. Looking over at the telephone, he noticed the blinking light on the answering machine. “We have a message,” he called to his mother.

“Would you play it for me?” Rey said over her shoulder as she walked into the laundry room to begin folding the clothes she had put in the dryer earlier that morning. “And then go upstairs and get ready for bed. You’ve had a busy day.”

Matt rolled his eyes and reached over to push the play button before laying back against the couch.

_“Hey, Rey, it’s Mitaka. I was just calling to tell you that I had a great time last night and I really appreciate you going with me on such short notice. You’ve always been a good friend to me, but we didn’t really get a chance to talk and catch up so...”_

At those words, Matt sat straight up on the couch and listened carefully.

_“...why don’t you let me take you out to dinner? You pick. And then we can really catch up with each other. So, just give me a call back and we’ll set it up. I hope to hear from you soon. Have a good evening.”_

Matt shook his head as he leaned over to hit the erase button on the answering machine.

“Who was that?” Rey asked, walking back into the room.

Pulling his hand back from the machine as if something had bitten him, Matt looked guiltily up at his mother. “Nobody."

Rey looked down at him strangely. “But I thought I just heard a man’s voice. Who left us a message? Was it someone from the hospital?”

“It was one of those guys who wanted to sell us something. I know how you hate them, so I’m just going to erase it.” Matt leaned back over to hit the erase button, but Rey intercepted his action by grabbing his hand. 

“Why don’t you let me judge for myself?” 

Matt began to protest, but was cut off by Mitaka’s voice repeating the message that had just been played. He immediately looked down at the floor as Rey listened to the message. When it ended, he didn't dare look up, he knew she would be mad. And she was.

"Look at me," she demanded and he reluctantly looked up into her angry glare. "This had better be good."

"What?" Matt mumbled, shifting his eyes from her accusatory gaze.

"The reason that you just lied to me." 

"I didn't—"

"Would you like for me to play back the message from Mitaka that you told me was from a telemarketer?" Rey asked, cutting him off angrily. She continued to glare at him while she waited for him to answer but he remained silent. "Matthew, you just got rescued from being grounded. Do you really want to have it happen all over again?"

"No," he muttered, still not looking at her.

"Then tell me what's going on," Rey said, leaning back against the arm of the couch. "Why did you lie to me?"

Matt shrugged, knowing that wasn't going to get him anywhere. Mother and son sat in the living room in silence for what seemed like an eternity, both too stubborn to give up any ground. Finally, he looked up at her and admitted softly, "I don't want you to go out to dinner with Mitaka."

"Well, newsflash, little man," Rey said sarcastically. "You don't get a vote. I'll have dinner with whoever I want to have dinner with."

"So have dinner with Dr. Ben."

"I just did," Rey reminded him sharply. "You were there."

"So now you have to have dinner without me there."

"I don't have to..." Rey began, but then stopped. She studied him for a moment and then stood up and let out a long breath. "Before this nonsense goes any farther, you and I are going to have a little chat." Matt sat up on the couch as she lowered herself down next to him. "I know that you like Ben and that's okay with me, but that doesn't mean he's going to become my boyfriend."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want him to," she said gently. "I'm sorry if that's not what you want, but that's the way I feel. And you have to stop trying to play matchmaker for the two of us."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are," Rey said, taking his hand. "I know that it's hard to grow up without your dad around, but you can't try and make people feel things that they don't feel about each other."

Matt frowned. "What's wrong with Dr. Ben?"

"Where do I start?" Rey muttered.

"You were laughing with him," he said hopefully.

"It takes a lot more than laughter to make a relationship work." She leaned back against the cushions. "I know that when you're in fifth grade, a girl can be your girlfriend before you even know her last name. You call each other boyfriend and girlfriend and pass notes and sit together in the cafeteria and all that fun stuff, but it's different with grown ups."

"How?"

"Well, you have to want some of the same things out of life." Rey looked over at him. "And Ben and I don't want the same things at all."

"What does that mean?" Matt asked, wrinkling up his nose.

"It means that _if_ I had a boyfriend, it would have to be someone who wanted to share his life with me. Someone who would look at things long-term," she tried to explain. "Our life is complicated and I don't have time to play the games that grown ups sometimes play when they think they like each—"

"But you like games," Matt interrupted. "And I bet Dr. Ben is good at games."

"I'm sure he is," Rey said. "And that's the problem. Because the games that grown ups play are not like the games you play on the playground at recess. These games involve important things like our hearts, and I decided a long time ago not to play games with my heart anymore." Rey put her arm around him. "But Ben isn't ready for that yet. He wants to go out and have fun with different people."

"Like with his lady friends?"

"Yes," Rey said quietly. "And I don't want to be just one of his lady friends, I want to be somebody's only girlfriend. It's just who I am."

"That's what he said," Matt muttered, leaning his head on her shoulder.

"You talked to him about this?" she asked in surprise.

"Sort of."

Rey hugged him close. "A man has to be ready to be a father. He has to really want to be one. And any man who comes into my life is going to become like a father to you. I know you want that. I want that, too. So, I have to be really careful who I choose to do that." She rested her chin on top of his head and inhaled softly. "And Ben is not ready for that. No matter how much you want him to be."

"Did you ask him?"

"What?"

"Did you ask him if he wanted to be like a dad to me?" Matt repeated. "Because he really likes me."

"Yes, he does really like you," Rey assured him with a smile. "But he likes you as a friend. I think he also really likes the fact that he can drop you off with me at the end of the day."

Matt was silent for a few minutes as he thought about his mother's word. "I think you're wrong. And I think you should ask him."

"Ask him what?"

"I think you should ask him if he wants to be like a dad to me. Because I think he does."

"Matt..." Rey said quietly, shaking her head as she let him go. "You are too stubborn for your own good." 

Matt grinned, watching her stand up. "Can I ask you something else?"

"Is it about Ben?"

"Yes."

Rey sighed.

"If Dr. Ben wanted all that stuff that you want, would you like him to be your boyfriend?"

"Matt!" Rey said exasperatedly.

"He likes you," Matt insisted. "And you like him. I heard you laughing."

"Lots of people make me laugh."

"No, they don't," he said softly, looking up at her earnestly. "Not like Dr. Ben made you laugh."

Rey studied his face for a few minutes. "It's time for you to go to bed. Let's go."

"But—"

"We are done with this conversation," Rey cut him off sternly. "Just because you act like you're forty years old sometimes, does not mean that you are. You are the child. I am the mother. And I don't always have to explain my choices to you." She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "Now, child, go to bed."

As Matt trudged up the stairs, he realized that his mother hadn't really answered his question about liking Dr. Ben. Which meant that she didn't say no. Which meant that she probably did like him. But sometimes his mother, the smartest person he knew could be really dumb and really difficult. For his plan to get his mother and Dr. Ben to fall in love, Matt suddenly realized that he was going to have to call in reinforcements. And he knew exactly who to call.


	9. Chapter 9

"These are really good brownies, Aunt Rose."

Rose looked across the kitchen counter at Matt and eyed him suspiciously. It was a rare occurrence that Matt showed up on her doorstep without his mother and wanted to just hang out with her. "Thank you," she said and poured him a glass of milk. "It's Paige's recipe."

"They're good," Matt repeated, taking another bite of his brownie. "Real chocolatey."

Rose bit back a grin at the inane conversation. "I'll tell her you like them."

"Can you get my mom the recipe?"

"Your mom _has_ the recipe," Rose said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. "And she makes them for you all the time. So, why don't you tell me what's going on?"

Matt looked up at her in surprise. "Why do you think something is going on?"

"Because I know you." Rose grinned. "And as much as I love you, you have never showed up at my front door by yourself."

"I told you," Matt said, picking at his brownie crumbs. "That I was riding my bike home from my friend's house and I had to go down your street. So, I stopped to say hi."

"But you don't want me to call your mother?" Rose asked, raising his eyebrow and recalling the request Matt had made of her when he first arrived.

"She's busy." Matt shrugged, looking down and avoiding her intense stare. Talking to his Aunt Rose was very much like talking to his mother sometimes. No wonder they were such good friends. "She's cooking dinner."

"Right," Rose quipped. "And _I_ don't cook dinner?" she sighed softly. "Matt, I have the benefit of knowing you since the day you were born, so I can tell when you're not being straight with me. You look just like your mother when you're thinking about something. Now, I'll give you all the brownies that you want and you can sit here until the cows come home, but it might be easier if you just come out and tell me what is straining that little brain of yours today." Rose watched Matt consider his words and then look up at her with his blue eyes as he mumbled the one word that was causing him so much trouble.

"Mitaka."

"Mitaka?" Rose asked, taken aback. "What does Mitaka have to do with you?"

"He went out with my mom last weekend," Matt said dejectedly. "She got all dressed up in her sparkly dress and they went to New York City."

"I know," Rose reminded him. "I was there. She and Mitaka went out with me and Hux."

"Well, they're going out again this week," Matt informed him, furrowing his brows. "To dinner without you and Hux."

"Good," Rose said with a smile, wondering why Rey hadn't mentioned that little piece of information at work earlier. But then looking down at Matt's unhappy face, he changed his tune. "Not good?"

Matt shook his head. "Not good at all."

"Why?"

"Because I don't like Mitaka."

Rose frowned and leaned over the counter. "Why don't you like him?"

Matt shrugged. "He doesn't like me."

"Of course he does," Rose reassured Matt with a smile. "Mitaka thinks you're great."

"No, he doesn't," Matt argued, shaking his head. "He never smiles at me."

"That's just Mitaka," Rose explained. "He has this broody and mysterious and viscount-y thing going on." Grinning at Matt again, she added, "It's part of his charm."

"Is that why my mom likes him?"

"Probably," Rose said and then looked at him curiously. "Mitaka and your mom have been friends since college. They care about each other."

"Well, I don't like him," Matt mumbled, reaching to take a sip of his milk. "Do you?"

Rose nodded and watched as Matt's face fell as he wiped at the milk mustache his drink had left. "He's a good guy."

"Now you won't help me."

"Help you with what?"

"Getting my mom a boyfriend."

"A boyfriend who is not Mitaka?" Rose asked, suddenly getting a clearer sense of where this conversation was going.

"Yeah," Matt said with a shrug.

"What makes you think that your mom wants a boyfriend?"

"She says she doesn't," Matt said, looking up at Rose. "But I think a boyfriend would make her happy. Like Hux makes you happy."

"Well, kiddo..." Rose said, reaching over to tousle his hair. "I completely agree with you."

"You do?"

"I do, but it's not as easy as you think for your mom to—"

"Because she has me," Matt interrupted flatly. "I know."

Rose studied his sad, little face. "Not all men are too eager to get involved with a woman who already has a child to take care of," she said carefully. "It's a lot more than most men want to take on. I think that's one of the reasons she likes Mitaka. He doesn't care about those things and just likes her for her."

"He's not the only one."

"Do you have someone in mind?"

"Dr. Ben."

"Matt, your mom doesn't even like being in the same room as Ben."

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Matt mumbled. "Yes, she does."

"Well, then she is very good at hiding it," Rose drawled.

"They're friends now," Matt said matter-of-factly. "He makes her laugh."

"He does?" Rose asked in surprise. "How do you know that?"

"I heard them," Matt said, realizing that he had just peaked his aunt's interest. "He came to my football game last Sunday and then we went out for burgers and shakes at Swillburger. And then they took me out for ice cream. Dr. Ben likes me," he continued. "And I like him."

"And so you want him and your mom to like each other?" Rose surmised quietly. When Matt nodded, she reached over and took his hand. "But it doesn't always work that way. I mean your mom and Ben are two very different people and..."

"He's not ready to be her boyfriend," Matt finished for him. "I know."

"How do you know that?"

"Mom told me."

This conversation was full of surprises. "You discussed this with your mom?" 

"Yeah," Matt said flatly. "But I think she's wrong about Dr. Ben. That's why I need your help."

Rose chuckled. "I learned a long time ago that when your mom has made a decision, she doesn't easily change her—"

"Do you think she's wrong about Dr. Ben?" Matt asked, interrupting his explanation.

Rose was quiet for a moment and then exhaled softly. "Yes."

"And you think they like each other?" Matt asked, the excitement beginning to build inside of him.

"I think he likes her," Rose admitted. "And I think she is trying very hard not to like him, but..."

"So, you'll help me?"

"Matt..."

He could see that Rose was hedging a bit, so he looked up at her with his patented puppy dog eyes. "You should have heard her laugh, Aunt Rose. It was great. She was really happy. You want her to be happy, don't you?"

"That's all I want for her," she whispered, and then leaned forward to cup Matt's adorable face. "That's what I want for the both of you."

* * *

_Three days later..._

"So, Dr. Niima, are we on for dinner tonight?"

Rey looked up from the paperwork she was filling out at the nurses' station and smiled at Mitaka. "The only thing I have to do is find a babysitter for Matt."  
  
"He's not old enough to stay by himself?" Mitaka asked, leaning on the counter.  
  
"No way," Rey said with a shake of her head. "With me as a mom, the only time he'll be home alone is when he lives on his own."  
  
Mitaka chuckled. "What about Kaydel?"  
  
"She's got a study group tonight."

"How about Rose?" Mitaka suggested.  
  
"She has a date."  
  
"And Paige?"  
  
Rey shook her head. "She and Dominic are meeting with their wedding planner."  
  
"Well," Mitaka said, letting out a long breath. "Maybe we should try again on another night."  
  
"No, I'm looking forward to having dinner tonight," Rey insisted, then paused for a moment before suggesting that he come over to her house for dinner.   
  
Mitaka nodded. "Sure, why not."  
  
"Great." Rey smiled. "It'll give you and Matt a chance to spend some time together."  
  
"Flowers for Dr. Niima!"  
  
The two friends both turned around to see Rose arriving at the nurses' station with a large floral arrangement. Rey's eyes widened as Rose set the flowers on the counter between her and Mitaka.   
  
"Roses, irises and calla lilies," Rose said, poking around through the arrangement. "Somebody really likes you."  
  
"Who are they from?" Rey wondered, searching for a card.  
  
Rose shrugged. "I'm just the messenger. They were left downstairs for you."  
  
"Mitaka," Rey teased. "I already said that I would have dinner with you tonight. You didn't have to go to such lengths."  
  
"I wish I could claim them," Mitaka admitted with a grin. "But, I wasn't that savvy."  
  
Rey leaned in to inhale the fresh fragrance. "Do you think they're from a patient?"  
  
Rose glanced at the flowers skeptically. "I don't think most of your patients would spend that kind of money."  
  
"Well, I'm going to leave you two to figure this mystery out on your own," Mitaka said, checking his watch. "I have to get back to work." Smiling at Rey, he added, "But I'm already looking forward to that home-cooked dinner at your house tonight."  
  
"You're making him dinner at your house?" Rose asked in surprise and as Rey nodded in affirmation, her attention was drawn to the elevator doors opening at that moment. "Hey Solo, hold that elevator," she called out as Ben stepped out onto the floor. "Mitaka needs it."  
  
As Ben held the elevator doors open, Mitaka quickly walked toward the elevator. He nodded his thanks to Ben and just as he was about to step into the elevator, Mitaka turned back around and said, "Six o'clock?"  
  
Rey grinned. "It's a date," she said just as the elevator doors closed in front of him. Smiling and shaking her head in amusement, she went back to her paperwork.  
  
"Nice flowers," Ben remarked dryly as he walked over to the nurses' station. "You know, Dr. Niima, I never pegged you as a hypocrite."  
  
Rey rolled her eyes and bit back a grin, but didn't look up or even acknowledge that he had spoken to her. That didn't stop him from continuing, though.  
  
"Pious and self-righteous, yes. But never a hypocrite. It's so nice to know that you have some humanizing flaws like the rest of us."  
  
"Well," Rose said with a smirk. "That sounds like my cue to exit stage left. I have an important phone call to make."  
  
Ben watched Rose make a hasty retreat and then leaned on the counter where Rey was working. Looking up, she came face to face with that familiar gleam in his eyes and she knew he was looking for an argument.  
  
"You know what, Ben, I'm so glad that our newfound friendship hasn't squelched your truly annoying personality. Because I have really missed these little insult-fests of ours over the last week. We were being entirely too polite to each other," Rey said, crossing her arms over her chest. "So go ahead, hit me with your best shot."  
  
Ben frowned. "Don't tell me that being called a hypocrite wasn't enough for you."  
  
"It's not one of your better insults," Rey informed him, looking down to make a few more notations in Mr. Edwards' chart. "And if it were true, then yes it would bother me a great deal, but since I'm not a hypocrite, I'm willing to let it remain something you have concocted in that confused, little head of yours."  
  
"Have it your way," Ben said, refusing to move his elbow so that she could return the tablet. "Denial isn’t just a river in Egypt, you know."  
  
Rey shoved his arm out of her way, causing him to lose his balance and stumble forward. Trying to conceal her laughter, she said, "Okay, I know I'm going to regret asking this, but since you are obviously dying to tell me, what the hell are you talking about?"  
  
Ben grinned, pleased that they were back to their bantering ways. "I just held the elevator for Viscount Hux, did I not?"  
  
"Yes," she said, wondering where this was going.  
  
"Well, I have recently learned that the viscount already has a viscountess."  
  
"And your point?"  
  
"You didn't let me finish, Miss Holier Than Thou," Ben reminded her with a mocking look. "You are continuously lecturing me about my supposed womanizing ways and yet here you are going out on your second date with a married man. Now, I may date around, but at least I'm not a homewrecker. Or a hypocrite."  
  
Rey shook her head at his ridiculousness. "I'm not a homewrecker. Mitaka and his wife are—"  
  
"Still legally married," he interrupted pointedly. "Whether you like it or not."  
  
"Whether I like it or not has nothing to do with..." Rey shook her head and then started again. "Not that it's any of your business, but they're separated, and Mitaka and I are old friends. And we are just having dinner, not running off to Vegas to get married."  
  
"Well, since _we_ are friends now, let me give you some friendly advice," Ben teased, looking at her in amusement. "You're just asking for trouble."  
  
Rey sighed loudly and was just about to walk away from him, but turned around and gave him a once over instead. "You know, Ben, you're an attractive man," she said, a mocking grin on her face.  
  
Ben frowned slightly, taken back by her compliment. "And here I thought you were up too high on your horse to notice."  
  
"You didn't let me finish," she shot back, the grin never leaving her face. "But even on the most attractive of men, jealousy is such an ugly quality."  
  
Ben looked shocked, but recovered quickly. "I'm not jealous."  
  
Finally turning away, Rey looked back at him over her shoulder and repeated his earlier words. "Have it your way, but denial isn’t just a river in Egypt, you know."  
  
Ben simply chuckled and watched her walk away. He was so engrossed on her retreat that he didn't hear Rose come up behind him.  
  
"Enjoying the view?"  
  
Ben spun around and stared at her innocently.  
  
"Well, you're not the only one," Rose remarked, moving over to the nurses' station counter and picking up a chart. As she knew he would, Ben followed her. "And since you and Rey have this new friendship thing going on, maybe you shouldn't ruin it by gawking at her in public."  
  
"Because only Mitaka is allowed to do that?"   
  
"Jealous?"  
  
"That's what Rey just said."  
  
"Then you must be pretty transparent," Rose said, biting back her smile.  
  
"I'm not jealous," Ben said, a little too loudly and then ran a hand through his hair. "So you're okay with him going out with your best friend?"  
  
"I'm encouraging it," Rose said, glancing at Ben, who had managed to disguise his discomfort with the conversation by pasting a fake, disinterested look on his face. But Rose could see right through him. "And what better way to show Rey how much he cares than to send her this gorgeous bouquet of flowers and taking her to one of the most romantic restaurants in the city tonight?"  
  
Smiling in Ben's direction, she added, "It just does my heart good to know that such a thoughtful and considerate man like Mitaka has taken such an interest in Rey. It's all I've ever wanted for her, you know. And what more could a girl ask for than a handsome and charming viscount?"  
  
Rose knew she was laying it on thick and she could see a muscle begin to tick in Ben's jaw. Matt was right, Ben did like Rey. More than anyone had originally imagined.   
  
"Do you have a thing for Rey, Dr. Solo?"  
  
The question startled Ben as he looked into the curious and expectant eyes of his colleague. "You get right to the point, don't you, Dr. Tico?" he stated, dodging the question.   
  
Rose's eyes challenged him from the other side of the counter. "You'd be an idiot not to, you know? She's everything a man would ever need in a woman."  
  
"Apparently, Mitaka thinks so," Ben shot back.  
  
"Mitaka is a smart guy," Rose retorted.  
  
"And that is an unbiased opinion, right?" Ben asked, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"Even if that amazing woman was not my best friend, I would still think that she's perfect," Rose countered, not sure if Ben was talking about Mitaka or her assessment of Rey. "Because she is."  
  
"Sure. If your definition of perfect includes stubborn, opinionated, judgmental, and too smart for her own good," Ben said, glancing at the flowers, still annoyed by the news that Rey was going to dinner again with Mitaka.  
  
"Like I said...perfect," Rose said, looking at Ben for a few moments and trying to read his expression. He waited for Ben to deny his statement and when he didn't, he said quietly, "Rey was seventeen when she got pregnant." Ben turned his gaze to him when he recognized the serious tone in his voice. "She didn't spend her summer after high school backpacking around Europe or having fun with her friends. She spent it watching the father of her child die and trying to figure out how to raise a baby."

"I—"  
  
But Rose wasn't done. "She figured out how to have a life and give Matt one."  
  
"And I admire her for that," Ben said quietly.  
  
"You're going to have to do a hell of a lot more than that if you want a shot with her."   
  
"Who said I want a shot with her?"  
  
"Do I look like an idiot?" Rose asked, smirking at him. "None of the women here capture your attention like Rey does by simply walking away from you."  
  
"Why are we talking about this?" Ben asked, trying to change the subject. "Isn't she going out with Mitaka?"  
  
"For dinner," Rose said simply. "But if what Rey and Mitaka had was real, it would have happened years ago. The two of them are better off as friends. Which means," she drawled dramatically. "You still have a chance with her."  
  
"I don't—"  
  
"Yes, you do," Rose interrupted with a grin. "So just stop denying it. Plus, you have an edge that Mitaka will never have."  
  
"And what is that?"  
  
"Matt."  
  
"Matt?"  
  
"He adores you," Rose reminded him. "And Rey adores him. She is completely and pleasantly surprised by the way you have been such a good friend to him."  
  
Ben lifted his shoulders. "I like him," he said simply.  
  
"Just him?" Rose asked knowingly. "Or does his mother have more to do with it than you want to admit?"  
  
Ben looked at her for a moment before reaching for a tablet. "I have rounds to make, Dr. Tico. Don't you?"  
  
"Classic avoidance," Rose said, shaking her head. "Did I hit a nerve, Dr. Solo?"  
  
"Look," Ben began, spinning around to glare at her. "There are plenty of women in this hospital who are more than willing to keep me company when my shift is over. Rey is not one of them. So why would I waste my time on someone who—"  
  
"Someone who none of those other women will ever measure up to?" Rose interrupted pointedly. "Okay, I'll answer that. Because you are not as shallow as you want us all to think. And you're smart. You know, whether you want to admit it or not, Rey is everything that all those other women aren't. Because if she weren't, you would have left her alone weeks ago, but you can't get enough of her."  
  
Ben opened his mouth to protest, but Rose kept talking.  
  
"And that tells me a lot about you, Ben. It tells me that you may not be a lost cause and could actually be good for my best friend." Rose eyed him knowingly. "Her son certainly seems to think so."  
  
"Matt is a kid."  
  
"Matt is a smart kid," Rose corrected. "Who wants his mom to be happy. And he knows that you make her happy."  
  
"I do?"  
  
"You make her laugh. That's important to Matt. And to Rey. And to me."  
  
"Well, I'm so glad I got your seal of approval..."  
  
"I wouldn't go that far," Rose interrupted again, struggling not to smile. "But I know a way that you could convince me."  
  
"How?" Ben asked, playing right into his hands.  
  
"Come over to Rey's tonight," Rose said nonchalantly. "I'm babysitting Matt and it would give me a chance to see you in action."  
  
"What makes you think I want you to see me in action?"  
  
Rose ignored his question. "I'll tell Matt that you're coming for dinner. He'll be thrilled. Should we say...six o'clock?"  
  
"I don't think..."

"You don't want to disappoint him, do you?" Rose challenged.  
  
"Fine," Ben said, pursing his lips and letting out a long breath before walking down the hall and out of sight.  
  
Rose smiled to herself as she walked away. "I just wish I was going to be there to witness it."


	10. Chapter 10

"So does my mom think that the flowers were from Dr. Ben?" Matt sat huddled in the far corner of his bedroom as he whispered into the cordless telephone so that his mother wouldn't hear the conversation he was having. 

"I don't know," Rose said from the other end of the line. "But Ben definitely thinks the flowers were from Mitaka, so that's good."

"Why is that good?"

"Because it made him a little jealous. And jealousy is good."

"Why?"

"Because it will make Ben realize that he has to do something about his feelings for your mom before he loses her to Mitaka."

"Oh," Matt said quietly, not really understanding.

"Okay, kiddo," Rose said quickly. "Mitaka will be calling soon."

"Why is Mitaka calling?"

"Because I told him about our plan and he is helping us."

"How?"

"By not coming to dinner."

"He's not coming to dinner?" Matt asked excitedly, a grin spreading across his face. "Why not?"

"Because he thinks that Dr. Ben likes your mom, too," Rose informed him. "See? I told you that Mitaka is a good guy."

"Okay..." Matt relented slowly. "But what time is Dr. Ben coming?"

"Six o'clock."

Matt checked the alarm clock next to his bed. "This is going to be great."

"I hope so," Rose said, letting out a deep breath. "Let's just hope that your mom doesn't get too mad at either of us."

"She won't yell at me in front of Dr. Ben," Matt said knowingly. "But we better make sure she has a good time at dinner or I'm a goner."

Rose chuckled. "Well, good luck, Matt. Call me later tonight and tell me what happened."

"Okay," he agreed. "Thanks, Aunt Rose."

"Anytime."

Matt hung up the phone with a sense of triumph and scrambled up off the floor. Heading down the hall, he stopped by the open doorway of his mother's bedroom and paused for a moment. He looked inside with a grin and watched as Rey added the finishing touches to her makeup.

"You look really pretty, Mom," Matt said quietly, trying not to startle her. "I like that dress."

For her dinner with Mitaka, Rey had opted for a deep red wrap dress, falling just below her knees. Long, tousled curls framed her face as she applied another coat of mascara. Sliding her eyes over to where her son was standing, she smiled. "It's not too fancy for dinner in the dining room?"

Matt shook his head. "You look good."

"Thank you," Rey said, opening her eyes wide to keep from smudging her newly applied mascara. "It feels nice to dress up every once in awhile." She slid her feet into her favourite pair of high heels and checked her appearance in the full length mirror before joining Matt in the doorway of her bedroom. "Well, let's go check on dinner. Mitaka will be here any minute."

Matt smiled knowingly, but remained silent as he followed his mother down the stairs and into the kitchen. He watched as she peered into the upper oven to check on the chicken and vegetables, which were roasting to golden, juicy perfection. When she bent over to check on the garlic roasted potatoes in the lower oven, Matt glanced at the clock and saw that the six o'clock hour was approaching fast. He could hardly wait.

"Everything's on schedule," she remarked, turning to face him. "All we need now is our guest."

Matt grinned again at her choice of words, knowing full well that the guest who would be arriving was not the guest that she was expecting. But before he could say anything to her, the doorbell rang.

"And there he is," Rey said with a smile. Satisfied that everything was in order, she walked to the front door. But the smile immediately left her face when she saw that it was Ben and not Mitaka who was standing on her front steps.

Allowing his eyes to sweep appreciatively and unabashedly over Rey, Ben drew in a quick breath before he greeted her with a low, "Well, hello, Dr. Niima."

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "What are you doing here?" she demanded, ignoring the somersaults that were turning over in her stomach at his approving look.

"I'm here for dinner," he informed her, stepping across the threshold into the house. Looking back at her, he was silently praising himself for arriving early enough to catch her before Hux came to pick her up for their date. It was definitely worth every speeding ticket he could have gotten as he raced across town. "You look great. Red is definitely your colour. Mitaka is a lucky guy."

Rey let out a frustrated breath, and shook her head. She wasn't quite sure if he was playing games or not, but she was annoyed all the same. "What do you mean, you're here for dinner? I didn't invite you to dinner."

"I'm not here for dinner with you." Ben furrowed his brow, looking genuinely confused. "I'm here for dinner with Matt."

"Well, since Matt doesn't do the cooking, he doesn't get to do the inviting without my permission," Rey shot back, wondering where this man found the nerve to show up uninvited. "Now, I want to know..." Her angry tirade was interrupted by a ringing telephone.

"I'll get it!" Matt shouted from the kitchen.

"No," Rey said, turning away from Ben. "You will get in here and explain why you invited—"

But before she could finish, Matt's voice could be heard saying, "Hello?" and then, "Mom, it's Mitaka."

Rey let out an angry breath and then turned back to glare at Ben. "Stay right here. We are going to deal with this in just a minute."

Ben bit his lip, nodding his head slowly. "Yes, ma'am," he said with an amused grin as he watched her hurry back to the kitchen. Ignoring her instructions, he promptly followed.

"Mitaka? Hi," Rey said into the phone as Ben wandered into the kitchen and gave Matt a curious look. The ten-year-old simply shrugged his shoulders innocently and then focused on his mother's conversation. "Is she all right?" 

Rey frowned, pausing to wait for Mitaka's response while Ben leaned against the kitchen counter and took another opportunity to admire Rey while her attention was focused elsewhere. He suddenly realized with a grin that red was his new favourite colour.

"Okay...well...we'll just get together another night then. Goodnight, Mitaka."

"So is Prince Charming having problems with his magical pumpkin coach?" Ben asked as she turned back to face him. "Did it—"

"He's not coming," Rey said, cutting off his smart remark. "And I thought I told you to wait by the front door?"

"But all the action is back here," Ben said, shrugging his shoulders. "So did the viscount find himself a new viscountess?"

"His cat is sick," Rey said, giving him a pointed look. "_Some_ men have their priorities in order."

"Ouch," Ben said sarcastically, grabbing at his heart and pretending to fall backward. His actions caused Matt to laugh, so Rey shot her son a dirty look.

"Matthew Zane Kellan," she hissed angrily, causing Matt to quickly sober up from his laughter. "You have two seconds to explain to me why he's here."

"I don't know," Matt mumbled, taking an immediate interest in his shoes.

"Look at me!" Rey demanded angrily. Matt did as he was told and she continued, "I thought we talked about this and..."

"I didn't invite him," Matt whined, looking toward Ben for help. "I haven't talked to him since last weekend."

"Don't you lie to me," Rey warned, her blood pressure continuing to rise. "I know you weren't happy about me having dinner with Mitaka, but to invite Dr. Solo over when you knew that Mitaka was coming here was just—"

"I didn't know Mitaka was coming over until you got home," Matt reminded her. "I thought you were going out to dinner."

Rey sucked in a deep breath as she considered the truth of his argument, and Ben used the temporary moment of silence to say quietly, "That's true, Matt didn't invite me to dinner."

"Well, who did?" she asked, turning around to face him.

"Rose."

"Rose?" Rey repeated, surprised at his answer.

Ben nodded in response. "She told me that she was babysitting Matt tonight and that I could come over for dinner."

"But Rose is going out with Hux tonight," Rey said, clearly confused. "That's why Mitaka had to come over here for dinner, because Rose wasn't free to babysit."

"Well, then she must have been confused," Ben mused, the hint of a smile coming to his face. "Because she invited me this morning."

"I _told_ you that I didn't do it," Matt said stubbornly, but quickly refrained from saying anything else when his mother shot a look over in his direction.

"Rose must have gotten the dates confused," Rey muttered to herself before looking over at her son. "I'm sorry that I accused you of lying," she said quietly." Matt shrugged her off as Rey turned her gaze to Ben. "Well, I'm sorry for the mix up..."

"Something smells good," Ben said, moving over to the oven to peer inside. "Is that roast chicken?"

Matt suddenly perked up. "Yeah, with roasted vegetables and potatoes."

"I love roast chicken," Ben said, turning around to face them.

"Want some?" Matt offered, just as Rey hissed, "Matthew!"

"What?" Matt asked, looking innocently up at his mother. "We have plenty...since Mitaka is not coming."

"Well, maybe Ben has other plans," Rey said tightly, wondering how she was going to get out of this one. Without even trying, her son had managed to get her and Ben to have dinner together.

"He's here, isn't he?" Matt reminded his mother, then looking at Ben to confirm. "We're your only plans...right?"

Ben shrugged. "I don't really have anywhere else to be tonight.”

"Great," Matt said, jumping off the stool he was sitting on to open up the refrigerator. "Plus, we have tiramisu for dessert. Do you like tiramisu?"

"I do," Ben confirmed. "But I don't think your mom is too keen on having a dinner guest this evening."

"Why?" Matt asked, looking up at his mother and doing a great job with the innocent act. "Dr. Ben can just take Mitaka's place. We're set up for three people anyway." And as if the matter were settled, he told Ben excitedly, "I helped set the table with Mom's good china. We only use the good china on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Want to see the table?"

"Matt..." Rey began, but took one look at his excited little face and decided not to even bother. Her dinner plans were ruined, but apparently Matt's evening just got a little better.

"Mom, he's here," Matt said, stopping short before heading into the dining room. "And we have lots of food. It would be rude to make him go home when he's standing right here already."

"It would be sort of rude," Ben chimed in, enjoying every moment of Rey's discomfort. "Especially since I just told you that I like roast chicken."

Rey shot him one of those looks that she usually reserved for Matt, but it only made Ben's grin widen. Shaking her head, she looked back at her son. He was practically bursting at the seams at this new turn of events. Finally, she realized that there was no way of getting out of asking Ben to stay for dinner. "Would you like some wine?" she offered half-heartedly and both Matt and Ben knew that she had just conceded.

Matt shot his fist into the air. "Dr. Ben is staying for dinner."

"I feel like a rock star," Ben joked, raising his eyebrow at Matt's reaction. 

Rey quickly took the bottle of Pinot Noir from where it had been chilling in the refrigerator and set it out on the counter between her and Ben. "Here, make yourself useful while I have a quick word with my son," she said, shoving a corkscrew in his direction.

Before Matt could respond, Rey was ushering him quickly into the nearby living room. She looked at him sternly. "I need you to remember what we talked about the other night before this goes any further."

"What are you talking about?" Matt asked, honestly confused this time.

"About playing matchmaker for me and Dr. Solo," Rey said. "Just because he is staying for dinner does not mean that he is going to be my boyfriend."

"But..."

"No, butts," Rey interrupted fiercely. "I don't know how this happened tonight, but it doesn't change anything about what I said the other night."

"Fine," Matt said, silently planning to ignore his mother's words. "It's just dinner."

"Because we have too much food," Rey reiterated, feeling the need to make excuses for her decision to let Ben stay. "And because he's standing in the kitchen."

"Right," Matt agreed, biting back a smile. "Because we have too much food and Dr. Ben's standing in the kitchen."

She glared down at him and began to wonder if this evening were really a coincidence after all. But Matt interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey, Mom? I think Dr. Ben really likes your dress." He grinned up at her. 

"What?" Rey asked, looking down and realizing that she was still in the clothes she had chosen for her dinner with Hux. "How can you tell?"

"He keeps looking at you," Matt told her with a wink. 

Rey felt an unexpected shiver go up her spine at those words. "Well, that doesn't matter because this isn't a date. It's just..."

"Dinner," Matt said, heading back into the kitchen with a knowing smile. 

* * *

The neatly set dining room table was illuminated by lightly scented candles. The bouquet of flowers that Rey had received earlier that day was showcased right in the middle of her pristine china, shining silver, and glittering crystal.

Ben grimaced when he saw the flowers, a constant reminder that he was on another man's date. Turning his gaze away from the flowers, he rubbed his hands together. "So, are you ready to impress me with your culinary skills?"  
  
"Impress you?" Rey scoffed. "There are some women in this universe whose only goal in life isn't simply to impress you. I'm sorry to be the one to break it to you, but you had to hear it from someone."  
  
Ignoring her remark, he gestured to the table. "You know, Rey, I never figured you for the domestic type."  
  
"Cooking doesn't make me domestic," Rey shot back and then added with a sly grin, "Although, the rule in this house is that if one person cooks, the other person has to clean up. So, it looks like you will become pretty domestic yourself before the night is over."  
  
"What?" Ben asked, looking over to Matt for confirmation of this new information. "You're going to make me clean up?"  
  
"Women have been doing it for centuries," Rey said, pleased that the smug look had disappeared from his face when she told him about the clean up. "So, it wouldn't kill a man to do it for just one night."  
  
"But I'm the guest," Ben protested as Matt stood by and enjoyed the entire scene. "And a man."  
  
"So?"  
  
"Men don't..."  
  
"Don't you dare finish that sentence in front of my son," Rey warned, biting back a grin. "And for your information, real men _do_ cook and clean." She met his eyes. "It's very attractive," she said playfully.  
  
"Cooking and cleaning are attractive?" Ben repeated lamely. "I don't think so."  
  
"So, it's just something that women are supposed to do?" Rey asked, baiting him. "And I'm guessing you subscribe to the barefoot and pregnant theory as well?"  
  
"I never said that."  
  
"That's what it sounded like to me."  
  
Ben looked over at Matt. "You want to give me a hand here?"  
  
Matt's eyes darted to his mother and then back to Ben. He held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, Dr. Ben. I've heard her have this argument before and I learned not to say a word."  
  
"Good choice, honey." Rey smiled, thankful that Matt had taken her side against Ben for once in their brief history. "And for that, you get extra dessert."  
  
Matt smiled triumphantly up at Ben and with a shake of her head, several curls fell back over Rey's shoulders as she headed back to the kitchen. Ben's eyes were on her the whole way there. A fact that did not escape Matt's attention.   
  
"I can't believe you sold me out for a little extra dessert," Ben muttered, turning his attention back to Matt.  
  
"That's because you never tasted this tiramisu," Matt said. "I'll do anything to get more of that stuff."  
  
"But the bro code..."  
  
"She's my mom," Matt reminded him. "She controls my allowance and my bedtime and my punishments."  
  
Ben considered this for a moment and then grinned at him. "Good point."  
  
Matt chuckled as Rey called for him to bring the salad and the potatoes to the table.

"I'll help," Ben offered, following Matt into the kitchen. He picked up the plate of potatoes, Matt grabbed the bowl of salad, and they followed Rey and her platter of chicken and roasted vegetables back into the dining room.  
  
"Everything looks delicious," Ben remarked, taking his seat at the table across from Matt. "I'm prepared to be impressed."  
  
"You will be," Matt assured him as he took a large spoonful of roasted potatoes. "Mom's great at pretty much everything."  
  
"I'm beginning to believe that," Ben said, as Rey poured him some more wine.  
  
"Be careful you two," Rey teased playfully. "The wine and the compliments will go straight to my head. And then I'll be unbearable to live with."  
  
The meal continued much more amicably than Rey could have ever imagined. Mara had been right, Ben could be very charming. He listened intently to all of Matt's stories about growing up in Rochester and London, and then shared a few stories of his own about his childhood growing up with a senator for a mom and a NASCAR race car driver for a dad. Matt looked at him in complete awe and hung on every word as if Ben was the king of the universe. And when Ben revealed that he was a Harry Potter fan, the deal was sealed. Matt loved Harry Potter and Rey couldn't help smiling as she listened to the two of them discuss Hogwarts, their favourite characters and which house they were sorted in.  
  
Things were going along so smoothly, in fact, that halfway through the meal Ben reached over and speared a potato from Rey's plate and ate it as she watched with a raised eyebrow and an annoyed expression. Seconds later, her fork snaked across the table and stabbed a piece of chicken off his plate. As she chewed, she couldn't help the grin that was spreading across her face. Ben began to smile as well and soon they were both laughing.  
  
Still chuckling, Rey reached for the bottle of wine at the same time as Ben and their hands met. When she felt his hand brush hers, Rey drew in a breath as a warm, fuzzy feeling spread through her.  
  
Ben smoothly refilled both of their glasses and raised his for a sip. Rey grabbed her wine glass and took an overly large gulp, hoping he couldn't see the blush she was sure she wore, judging by the burn in her cheeks. She could feel her heart pound in her chest, and for a second, she was convinced that he could even hear it as well. Catching his amused expression, she looked down at her plate and concentrated on her salad. 

Ben himself hadn't been unaffected. He'd purposefully stolen the potato from her plate to provoke her. And he'd gotten the smile he was hoping to see. Her laughter was infectious and stealing a bite off her plate had seemed so natural. But he hadn't been prepared for the feelings that assailed him when their hands met, though. It made his heart race, and truth be told, he'd been a little disappointed when she pulled away. The pink tinge in her cheeks and the gulp of wine stunned him into the realization that she felt the same way. And he revelled in this new knowledge as the meal continued.

Conversation was light throughout the rest of dinner, and both adults avoided talking about what had just happened as Matt rambled on about school and football and Harry Potter.  
  
After a dessert that was just as delicious as the dinner, Matt looked up at Ben. "Do you want to see my room? I've got lots of neat Harry Potter stuff."  
  
Ben grinned and looked at Rey. "I heard this nasty rumour that I have to do the dishes."  
  
Loved seeing her son so happy, Rey smiled back at Ben. "The dishes will be here for you when you come back down."  
  
"Thanks," Ben said sarcastically, putting down his empty coffee cup and following Matt up the stairs.  
  
Up in Matt's bedroom, sitting on the bed as the little boy eagerly showed off his favourite possessions, Ben's eye fell on a framed photograph sitting on the table next to the bed. He picked it up and looked down at it. "Is this your dad?" he asked quietly.  
  
Matt turned to look at the photo in Ben's hands and smiled proudly. "Yep...that's him." He then looked at Ben curiously. "Are you and your dad close?"

"My dad died when I was in high school. Growing up, he travelled a lot, so I didn't get to see him very often," Ben said. "At one point, I wanted to be a race car driver just like him." He laughed softly before continuing, "I wish I had gotten to know him better. I hope that he'd be proud of the man I've become." He cleared his throat, looking down at the photo again. "Is this the only picture you have of your dad?"  
  
"Nope," Matt said, pulling a leather bound photo album out of his nearby desk drawer. "My mom and dad made this when she was pregnant with me, right before he died. Do you want to see it?"  
  
"Can I?" Ben asked carefully and Matt nodded as he put the album in Ben's hands. Silently, he flipped through page after page covered with photos of Zane Kellan with various familiar faces. And under each photo were handwritten notes from Rey and Zane, recalling the events portrayed in the photo and other special memories. "Your dad was a popular guy," Ben remarked as he looked down at a picture of Zane with DJ Canto and a young Rose at a football game.  
  
"Everybody loved him," Matt said quietly. "Especially my mom."  
  
"Yeah," Ben agreed, running his finger gently over a photo of Rey and Zane all dressed up at the prom. They looked so young and happy and in love. Setting the album beside him on the bed, he looked at Matt. "Tonight's dinner wasn't really a coincidence, was it?"  
  
Matt looked up at him and pasted his innocent face back on. "What?"  
  
"Come off it, Matt," Ben said, patting the space next to him on the bed. "Your mom and I are not idiots. I don't know exactly how it happened, but something tells me that this evening ended up just the way you planned it."   
  
"What are you talking about?" Matt asked, coming to sit next to him.  
  
"I'm talking about how funny it was that your Aunt Rose just happened to mix up the babysitting schedule on the same evening that your mom was supposed to go on a date with Mitaka."   
  
"Yeah, that was kind of funny," Matt said, looking back down at his photo album.  
  
"I've worked with your Aunt Rose for a few weeks now and I know that she's one of the most organized doctors I've ever met," Ben prodded gently. "I don't think that she would forget something as important as when she was supposed to babysit you. You...who she loves more than anything. You...who she would do anything for." He nudged Matt with his shoulder. "Anything...like trick your mother into having dinner with me because you asked her to."  
  
Matt, knowing that he was busted, looked up at Ben. "Are you mad?"  
  
Ben chuckled. "No. I'm actually flattered that you like me enough to set me up with your mom. But—"  
  
"Did you have a good time?" Matt interrupted, knowing that nothing good ever comes after the word _but_.  
  
"Yes," Ben admitted. "I had a very good time. But—"  
  
"If you and my mom fell in love," Matt said quickly, avoiding another _but_. "Then you could have dinner over here every night."  
  
"Matt, you need to stop right there," Ben said in a firm, but gentle voice.   
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because you can't make your mom and I fall in love."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Because love is too important to force on people. It has to happen naturally between two people who really care about each other and want to share their life and their dreams."  
  
"Don't you care about my mom?" Matt asked, not having to force the innocent act this time.  
  
"I like your mom very much," Ben said. "She's smart and she's funny and..."  
  
"She's beautiful," Matt added. "I know you thought she looked beautiful in her dress. You kept looking at her when she wasn't paying attention."  
  
"She does look beautiful," Ben agreed quietly. "But—"  
  
"Stop saying that," Matt demanded, suddenly angry. "Stop saying the word _but_. It's all you and my mom ever say. Can't you just try to love each other?"  
  
Ben sucked in a deep breath and tried a different tactic. "Matt, when you were little did you ever put your arms out and spin really, really fast?"  
  
Matt looked a little sheepish. "I still do it sometimes," he said. "And then I fall down in the leaves."  
  
Ben chuckled. "Well, that's what love is like. It makes your heart race and it turns the world upside down. But if you're not careful, if you don't keep your eyes on something still, you can lose your balance," he paused. "I don't ever want to lose my balance."  
  
"Have you ever been in love?"  
  
Ben turned his gaze toward the bedroom window for a moment. "I was once," he admitted. "A long time ago."  
  
"Did someone hurt you the way Jaxon hurt my mom?" Matt asked quietly, tears filling his eyes. "Is that why you're scared to love her? Because I think she's scared, too."  
  
Ben put his arm around Matt and pulled him close. "Feelings like this are complicated and sometimes it's just easier not to deal with them at all."  
  
"That's kind of dumb," Matt said, wiping the unshed tears from his eyes.  
  
Ben chuckled and agreed. "I guess it is. But—"  
  
"Don't say that word again," Matt warned, sitting up.  
  
"Okay," Ben agreed with a grin. He paused for a minute to think of the right words. "My mom would think it was dumb, too. She used to always tell me to follow my heart and never look back." He smiled fondly down at Matt. "She said that if I did that, then life would be full of happy surprises."  
  
"Your mom sounds as smart as mine."  
  
"She was," Ben mused sadly.  
  
"My mom once told me that even though lots of people spend their whole life searching for love, sometimes the truest love can be where you least expect it," Matt said, looking up at Ben thoughtfully. "That's kind of like what your mom said, right?"  
  
"Yes, it is," Ben said, tousling Matt's hair. "I guess we should both listen to our mothers more often."  
  
"I listen to mine," Matt pointed out. "You're the one who is scared."  
  
"Confused," Ben corrected. "And now that I know that a ten-year-old is smarter at this than I am, I'm even more confused."  
  
"Maybe you should talk to my mom, then," Matt said cheekily. "Since she's so smart."  
  
"Maybe I will," Ben shot back.  
  
"Now?" Matt asked hopefully.  
  
Ben shook his head and then sighed deeply. "Right now, I'm going downstairs to do the dishes."  
  
"And I'll stay here and give you some privacy." Matt grinned. "Good luck."  
  
"Don't get your hopes up," Ben warned. "Your mom and I are both very stubborn people."  
  
"Don't I know it," Matt muttered as Ben left the room and headed downstairs.  
  
He found Rey in the kitchen. She had cleared all of the dishes from the table and was loading them in the dishwasher. "I thought I was supposed to do that," he said quietly, trying not to startle her.  
  
She turned and smiled at him. "I thought that you and my son were upstairs cooking up a plan to sneak you out of the house without having to do the dishes, so I just decided to do them myself."  
  
"Have I mentioned how lovely you look tonight?" Ben said softly, feeling his breath hitch as he watched her move over to the sink. 

Rey could feel the flush creeping back up into her cheeks. It had been a long time since a man had complimented her as much as Ben did in one evening and she was beginning to feel like an awkward teenager again. She had truly believed that part of her life was over.  
  
"So, if you weren't planning to sneak out of the house," Rey said, changing the subject. "What were the two of you talking about up there?"  
  
"You and me," he said simply, leaning against the kitchen island.  
  
"You and me?"  
  
"We've been set up."  
  
"I know," Rey admitted. She met his eyes and smiled again. "He's been at it for days."  
  
"The football game?" Ben asked with a grin. "And the burgers and shakes at Swillburger?"  
  
Rey nodded. "I don't know how Rose or Mitaka got involved, but..."  
  
"I think that there are a lot of people that would do anything your son asked of them."  
  
Rey absently played with one of the wine glasses. "He's got it in his head that you and I should..."  
  
"Fall in love?"  
  
Rey glanced at him in surprise. "I was going to say be boyfriend and girlfriend."  
  
"He must have stepped up his plans then, because he and I just had a little conversation about love."  
  
"Oh, God," Rey moaned, covering her face with her hands. "I'm sorry."  
  
"Don't be," Ben assured her. "The conversation was very enlightening. He's a smart kid who has a pretty clear outlook on life for someone his age."  
  
Rey lowered her hands, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I can't believe you just did that."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Broke your promise to Matt." When Ben looked at her in confusion, she continued, "You told me that he was playing matchmaker again tonight. That was one of his secrets, right? And didn't you promise not to reveal any of his secrets to me?"  
  
"I guess I did," Ben said softly. "But if you don't tell him, then you and I will have a secret."

"Who says that I want to have a secret with you?" Rey asked just as softly, turning to look out the kitchen window.  
  
"Secrets can be fun." His voice was low and the air between them crackled hotly.

Her eyes met Ben's in the reflection of the glass window and Rey watched as he pushed himself from the island and walked up behind her. She knew that they were in dangerous territory and felt her breath catch in her throat, but couldn't stop herself from saying, "Secrets can't be..." she trailed off when he stepped closer, the space between their bodies now only mere inches.

"Why do you always have to argue with me?" he whispered, his mouth a breath away from her ear. "Life would be so much easier if you and I were on the same side for a change."  
  
She turned around and looked up at him to say something in response, but whatever it was died on her lips. His eyes locked with hers and time slowed down. He felt himself being pulled in, like an undertow. Slowly, he lowered his head, watching her eyes for any sign of acceptance or refusal. She returned his gaze evenly, her eyes flickering down to his lips, her own parting slightly. Ben decided to take this as his cue and closed his eyes as he covered the small distance left between them.

The touch of his mouth sent a shock wave through Rey. His lips were soft and tender, yet she could sense a strength, a barely reserved power behind them. She opened her mouth to him and he kissed her hungrily, with a passion that seemed to startle them both. He cupped her face with one hand while sliding the other one down her back and pressed her close to him. She shifted against him and gave a little moan, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, her fingers tangling in his dark hair.   
  
But much too soon, Ben felt her pull away and he lifted his head, feeling dazed. She stared at him, her breathing shallow, her cheeks a rosy glow. She touched her fingers to her lips and took a step back, a move that pushed her further against the counter.

"Ben..." she said softly, willing her body not to tremble. "I think you need to go."

It was a struggle to focus. "What?" he murmured, moving in to nuzzle her neck, but he felt her hands come up to his shoulders and push him away with a force he didn't expect. By the time he realized what was happening, she had turned away from him. "Rey?"  
  
"Ben," she pleaded, staring out at the evening sky, her hands gripping the counter. "You really need to go now. Please."  
  
There was something in her voice that told him this wasn't the time to argue with her, so he took one last lingering look at her, before grabbing his jacket off a nearby chair. "Goodnight, Rey," he whispered. 

Silence was the only response. 


	11. Chapter 11

"You look like hell."

Rey looked up from her paperwork to see Rose lounging in the doorway to her office with a playful smirk on her face. "And good morning to you, friend," she shot back snidely. "And I use the word _friend_ in the loosest sense of the word."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rose quipped, setting a cup of coffee down on her desk.

"You know what that means," Rey said, raising an eyebrow at him as he settled into one of the chairs across from her. "And why the hell is everyone bringing me coffee all of a sudden?"

Rose chuckled. "Did we get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" She took a sip of her own coffee. "Or is all that pent up sexual frustration finally making its way to the surface?"

"Don't you have anyone else to annoy this morning?" Rey asked, looking back down at the paperwork she was filling out.

Rose checked her watch. "Nope. My schedule is pretty clear for the next few minutes." She grinned at Rey's attempts to ignore her. "You seriously do look like hell."

Rey just shook her head and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Thanks," she said sardonically.

"No, seriously, you don't look at all like yourself," she continued, grinning like a cheshire cat. "No make-up, bags under the eyes, pallor complexion...rough night?"

"I didn't sleep well."

"Ah," Rose said triumphantly. "But the big question is, did you sleep alone?"

Rey gave her one of her patented evil eyes. "Despite your best efforts, yes, I went to bed alone. Like I have every night since moving back from London."

"My best efforts?" Rose asked, pasting an innocent look very similar to Matt's on her face. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"You're as bad at this as Matt is," Rey informed her, not looking up from her paperwork. "And you are both completely busted."

Rose laughed loudly at the statement. "So, how did your date go?"

Rey was silent for a few more minutes, hoping that she would take the hint and go away. But, of course, she didn't, so she put down her pen and glared across the desk. "If you must know, I kissed Ben last night."

Rose's eyes widened in surprise, but she kept up the innocent act. "But I thought you had a date with Mitaka?"

"Rose..."

"So, let me get this straight," Rose said, ignoring Rey's warning tone. "You had a date with Mitaka, but you kissed Ben?"

Rey nodded.

"Outstanding!" Rose clapped his hands together. "My girl's got her groove back!"

"I do not have my...groove...anywhere," Rey hissed. "This is awful."

"What is awful?"

"Didn't you hear me?" Rey asked, wide-eyed. "I kissed Ben Solo last night!"

"Yes, I heard you," Rose assured her with a grin. "And now I want details. Many, many details."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Rey grumbled, looking back down at her paperwork.

"Are you nuts?" Rose asked, reaching over and pulling the papers out from under her. "Of course we are going to talk about it. This is huge."

"Hey!" Rey frowned. "I need that."

"No, you need to tell me all of the events that led up to you kissing Ben," Rose corrected her, a determined look upon her face. "Now, spill it."

Rey drew in a deep breath and then blew it out. "As if you didn't know," she muttered. 

Rose raised her eyebrows. "No, I don't know." When Rey glared at her, she continued, "Okay, I know how he got there. But what happened between the moment he rang your doorbell and the moment you devoured his luscious lips is what I'm not clear on."

"How could you do that to me?" Rey moaned, ignoring Rose's plea for details. "I was all set up for a date with Mitaka and ended up having dinner with Ben."

"And then kissing him," Rose reminded her. "Let's not forget the part about kissing him."

"How could I?" Rey mumbled and then narrowed her eyes at her. "So, why did you do it?"

"Because it was fun."

"It was not fun! It was—"

"Any evening that ended with kissing had to be just a little fun," Rose teased with a grin.

"Would you forget about the kissing?" Rey snapped in frustration, ready to bang her head on the desk. "You set me up."

"Yes, I did," Rose admitted proudly. "Me and Matt. And Mitaka, too, but he only came in at the end."

"And you don't see anything wrong with that?"

"Nope."

"Care to explain?" Rey asked, ready to throttle her.

"What's to explain?" Rose asked, taking another sip of her coffee. "You said yourself that you've been going to bed alone for the past year and a half. That's just sad. So when Matt said that he had a plan to set you up with a handsome, sexy doctor, I jumped in with both feet."

"Matt is ten!" Rey reminded her forcefully. "Why do I have to keep reminding people of that?"

Rose chuckled. "Well, he's old enough and smart enough to know that it's time for you to start getting back out there." She cocked her head to the side. "We're all a little worried about you, you know."

"Well, I'm fine," Rey reassured her. "And I'm happy. Contrary to popular belief, I don't have to have a boyfriend. I do pretty well on my own."

"Yes, you do," Rose agreed gently. "But you don't have to be on your own all the time."

"I'm not," Rey protested. "I have Matt."

"Yeah, but I have known you a long time. And you have never been happier than when you were with Zane—"

"There are obvious reasons for that."

"And," Rose continued, ignoring Rey's interruption. "As much as I hate to admit it, you were also very happy in the early days with Jaxon, before the car accident, before he got hooked on painkillers and alcohol, before he—“ She shook her head. "It still makes me shudder to think what would've happened to you if Matt and I hadn't come home early that day. So yes, with you, happy usually means being in love. You look good in love."

"And you thought Ben was the right man for the job?" Rey asked skeptically.

"Matt did," Rose reminded her. "Face it, Ben is the first guy in a long time to get past your defenses and actually touch those forbidden lips with his." Rey eyed her again and Rose let out a deep breath. "I just figured that it was kind of perfect, you know? And who are we to challenge who love chooses to unite?" she continued. "It follows no rules, no logic. I mean, look at me and Hux. We were circulating in two different universes before fate brought us together. Who would have thought that we would find happiness with each other?"

"Yes, but I'm someone who is looking for love. Real love. Ridiculous, inconvenient, all consuming, can't-live-without-each-other love," Rey said, her shoulders slumping. "And Ben runs away from that as fast as he can."

"He didn't run last night, did he?"

"He's dangerous."

"Why?" Rose challenged.

"Because I liked kissing him," Rey admitted quietly. "Which is why I couldn't sleep. The last thing I need is to like kissing Ben."

"Why?" Rose asked again.

"Because he likes kissing everybody," Rey muttered. "And that makes him dangerous. For me and Matt. As soon as someone new catches his attention, he's going to forget his little fascination with the single mom and her charming, little son and—"

"That's not how he sees you," Rose said quietly.

"No offense, but even the most perfect, sensitive guy is a dog," Rey said, raising her eyebrow. "I mean, he might be a well-behaved dog, but he still howls at the moon and grabs the first leg he can get a hold of."

"Wow." Rose laughed, leaning back against the chair. "Hello, Miss Cynical."

"But do you see my point?"

Rose regarded Rey for a minute and then said softly, "I know you've been through a lot. First Zane, and then Jaxon and then all those jerks in London. But you are a fabulous woman. Smart, successful, funny, and sexy as hell. But there you sit, held hostage by your past relationships. And I just don't want to see you go through that anymore."

"I know," Rey said quietly. "But there are some things that still scares me. And Ben tops that list." She looked over at Rose. "Sometimes I feel like there's a hole inside of me, an emptiness that at times seems to burn. I think if you lifted my heart to your ear, you could probably hear the ocean." She smiled sadly. "I can't have my heart handed back to me again. Because this time, it's Matt's heart, too. And as hard as it is for me to go through this, it will kill me to have to watch him have his heart broken."

"But what if you're wrong?" Rose asked softly. "What if this is the best thing that ever happened to either of you? What if Ben is the guy who will give both you and Matt the happily ever after?"

"Happily ever after?" Rey frowned slightly. "You sure do put a lot of faith in love."

"So did you once," Rose reminded her.

"Love can let you down," Rey said quietly. "I've learned that the hard way."

"Love doesn't let you down," Rose said just as quietly. "People are the ones that let you down, not love."

"I can't talk to you about this," Rey teased, trying to lighten the mood. "You're so in love with Hux that it clouds your view of the rest of the world."

"And that's a bad thing?" Rose asked seriously. "The world is not a romantic place, we know that better than most people. But some of its people are, however, and therein lies the promise for the entire human race." She smiled, lightening her tone. "Join me in this fight, Rey. Don't let the world and all of its cynics win. Keep believing in love. No matter what your head is telling you."

"My head is what protects me."

"The boundaries you have set up are what protects you," Rose corrected. "But those boundaries don't always just keep other people out, they also fence you in."

"Some lines are way too dangerous to cross," Rey reminded him. "And most of the time they lead to regrets."

Rose leaned forward to rest her arms on the desk. "Lesser women who have been through what you have been through would be cowering in the psych ward eating crayons for lunch. So regrets are a waste of time. They're the past that is crippling you in the present. And the present is something you have to embrace with gusto. Even if it scares you to death."

Rey leaned over to cover her hand with her own. "I hear you, Rose. And I'll think about—" Before she could finish, the phone on her desk rang.

"We've got a situation," Phasma said, as soon as she answered. 

"What's going on?" Rey asked, suddenly alarmed.

"Ethan Henley is..." Phasma drew in a deep breath. "It's not good. Luke doesn't think he's going to last much longer."

"Oh, my God," Rey said as she stood up. "He's not responding to his drug therapy?"

"His body is shutting down."

* * *

"His weakened immune system caused a fever to overtake his body and he's fading fast."  
  
Luke's soft words filled the small room in the pediatric intensive care unit as Rey, Phasma, and Ben gathered around Ethan's bed. But the words were unnecessary. From the moment that she saw him, Rey knew that Ethan would not last much longer. He had not been well when his mother had first come to Rey for treatment and they all seemed to know that their journey would one day lead them to this point.  
  
Her fears were confirmed by the look in Ben's eyes as he laid his hands on the boy's fevered brow. Her heart would not allow her to meet anyone's concerned gaze for a moment longer, so she busied herself with making Ethan as comfortable as possible.  
  
"Rey, don't..." Phasma said quietly as she watched her crawl into the boy's bed.  
  
"His mother works over an hour away," Rey said quietly, putting her arms around Ethan. "She might not get here in time and I don't want him to be alone."  
  
"Rey..." Ben said, but he was cut off by the look she shot at him.  
  
"If it were Matt, I would want someone to be with him," she said, silencing any of their further protests. So, knowing that they would not change her mind, everyone left the room.  
  
Except Ben.  
  
Wordlessly, he pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat in silence.  
  
Leaning back against the pillows with Ethan in her arms, Rey allowed herself one deep breath and no more. If she gave in, she would collapse and how could she seek peace when this child suffered in her arms?  
  
She stroked his face, and tried to speak to him. "Ethan?" she whispered. "Can you hear me?"  
  
"He won't respond," Ben said quietly. "But he can hear you."  
  
Ethan was such a beautiful child, calm even in certain death. He was dying and they both knew it. Rey could hear it in each laboured breath, see it in the way his eyes seemed to look through her rather than at her.  
  
"The drug trials didn't work for him," she whispered, stroking his soft blond hair. "I was so sure that..."  
  
"He was making good progress, Rey," Ben said softly. "Sometimes...it's just time."  
  
"I should have relented when you pushed for surgery," Rey confessed, looking from Ethan's face to Ben's. "I was so sure you were jumping the gun on surgery and now—"  
  
"He got the best medical care we could give him," Ben said, knowing that she was shredding herself to pieces behind the strong facade she was putting forth. "Don't second guess yourself."  
  
Rey didn't know how long they sat with him. She kept a hand on his cheek and she told him what a brave young boy he was. She told him the people of Rochester Memorial, and herself in particular, would remember him forever. She silently looked down at his face, so familiar to her after all these weeks of treatment, and shook her head. It wasn't supposed to end this way, not this time. Not with this child.  
  
"Did your mother sing you to sleep when you were little, Ethan?" she asked quietly. "I used to sing my son to sleep every night. I still do sometimes, and he's older than you are." Rey was sure that she saw him nod slightly, so ever so softly, her voice filled the small confines of his hospital room as she sang him to sleep.  
  
Ben could not take his eyes off of her as the words brought comfort not only to the dying child, but also to his own weary heart. It was in moments like these that he remembered why he didn't get involved with his patients. But Rey did. And the mother in her would not allow Ethan to die alone. Even if she had to live with the memory of him dying in her arms.  
  
So together they sat there, for what seemed like an eternity, and waited for death to take its toll on someone else that Rey had come to care for.


	12. Chapter 12

With nothing but the bleak, eternal evening stretching out before her, Rey's weary mind had nothing to do other than rove the many paths of her memory. But it was her most current memory that was the cause of her unexpected trip to the park after driving around the city aimlessly for hours after her shift ended. Rochester seemed so peaceful in the twilight of evening, having no idea that one of its young citizens had just died. And she couldn't save him.

The nurses had long since shut off the beeping monitors in Ethan's hospital room, but Rey still heard that awful sound ringing in her ears. She twisted her hands together, trying to warm them in the chilly autumn weather, and telling herself not to cry. Crying solved nothing. It never had. She had learned that long ago. She should be used to this by now, the inevitable end of human life. She was a doctor and Ethan was her patient. That was all. She went over those thoughts in her mind to try and hold back the tears. 

Unwilling to go home, she had just started driving around. She didn't want Matt to see how upset she was by Ethan's death. She always tried so hard not to bring her work home to him. But the more she drove, the worse she felt. Finally pulling into the parking lot of the park, she decided that a brisk walk would do more for her fragile psyche than her endless driving. And when she had seen the empty swings that hung in the children's playground area, she decided to stop and sit for awhile.

Rey breathed in the night air and wrapped her arms tightly around herself to keep warm. It was colder out than she thought. Sitting on the swings that she herself had played on as a child and then, years later, where she had pushed Matt for endless hours at a time, she felt the most at home. A smile came to her lips for the first time in hours as she thought of her own precious child, her living reminder of Zane. Sitting with Ethan earlier had dredged up so many of those painful memories of sitting with Zane in his final hours. But it had been the baby boy who had been placed in her arms almost a month later that had helped to take her mind off her grief.

Thoughts of Matt's birth immediately led Rey to think of Ethan's mother who had arrived too late to kiss her son good-bye. The last bit of life had drained out of Ethan as Rey held him closely in that hospital bed, praying for his mother to arrive in time. The memory of holding him in her arms made Rey ache to wrap her arms around Matt and feel the life and breath surging through him. That was what she really needed. Just to spend some time alone with her son and remember how blessed her life truly was.

* * *

As if he could read her mind, Matt met her at the car when Rey pulled into the driveway of their home twenty minutes later. Rose must have called Kaydel, who probably in turn told Matt about Ethan, because he didn't utter a single word as he slipped into her arms as soon as she stepped out of her car. She wrapped her child in the tightest of embraces and buried her face in the soft, sweet smell of the hair at the crown of his head.

"I love you, Mom," he whispered as she held him even tighter, if that was possible.

She had been right. This was what she had really needed.

"I love you, too," Rey said, moving back to smile down at him. "And I'm so lucky to have you."

"Are you hungry?" Matt asked with a smile, as she put her arm around him and they began to walk toward the front door. "Because there's a surprise for you in the kitchen."

"A surprise?" Rey asked quietly as they ascended the front steps. "What kind of surprise?"

"Just a surprise." Matt continued to smile up at her and opened the front door as the sweet smell of cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla wafted out of the kitchen to meet them. "French toast," he said, when Rey looked down at him, frowning slightly.

"You made me French toast?" she asked, putting her purse and jacket down on the front hall table.

"Nope," Matt said with a grin. "He did."

Rey looked up in surprise to see Ben standing in the kitchen, spatula in hand, flipping thick slices of French toast over the griddle. "What are you doing here?" she asked, knowing she sounded rude but too drained to really care.

"Mom!" Matt hissed, squeezing her hand. "He's being nice."

But Ben simply smiled. "Making dinner." He gestured to the griddle in front of him. "French toast is my favourite comfort food. And after today, I thought everyone could use a little comfort." He lifted a slice of the French toast to check and see how it was browning, before looking back at her with a smirk. "I recently heard somewhere that a man who can cook is very attractive."

Rey smiled in spite of herself at his reference to their conversation the previous evening, which now seemed like a lifetime ago. "Oh, yeah?" she shot back tiredly. "Well, I recently heard that men don't do the cooking or cleaning."

"Really?" he teased, pretending to be offended by her words. "I can't imagine what kind of sexist pig would have said that." Flipping over a slice of the French toast, he looked at her, his brow cocked questioningly. "So does the rule about one person cooking and the other person cleaning up still apply?"

"_I_ did the cleaning up last night," Rey reminded him, eyeing him from her seat at the kitchen table. 

"Only because you kicked me out."

"Because you ki—" Rey stopped mid-comeback and slid her eyes over to where Matt was watching the scene with keen interest. Ben raised his eyebrows waiting for her to continue, but she simply shook her head. "It smells delicious."

"Thank you," he said with a satisfied grin.

Rey looked over at Matt. "I'm sorry I was so late getting home," she said quietly. "After my shift at the hospital ended—"

"I know," Matt interrupted softly. "Dr. Ben told me about the little boy who died and how sad it made you. We kind of figured that you would go be by yourself after work."

"You did?"

Matt shrugged. "Dr. Ben thought you might have driven around to clear your head."

"I went to the park," she told him with a sad smile. "After driving around for awhile, I went to sit on the swings."

"The swings always make me feel better, too," Matt said with a grin. "Do you want some milk or something to drink?"

Rey needed something stronger than milk. "Just some water, I think," she said instead.

"I'll get it," Matt said.

She watched him get a glass and fill it with water. "Did you finish your homework?"

"Yep," he said. "Dr. Ben checked it."

"He did?" Rey asked in surprise, looking over at Ben.

"Sure," Ben said, as Matt handed her the glass of water. "After microbiology and advanced anatomy, fifth grade math was a piece of cake."

Rey chuckled at him and then she looked at her son. "Come here," she said softly, holding out her hand. Matt did as he was told and sat gingerly on her lap. He laid his head on her shoulder as she whispered, "We haven't done this since you were little."

"Am I too big for you now?"

"Never," she assured him, holding him tighter. "You'll never be too big for this."

They sat there like that for a few minutes, cuddled in the chair, as they watched Ben prepare their French toast dinner.

"I'm sorry you had a bad day, Mom," Matt whispered. "And I'm sorry the little boy died."

"Me too, baby," Rey whispered back, leaning down to kiss the top of his head. "I'm sorry that he had to die, too." She felt the tears spring to her eyes as she held her son and thought once again about the mother that would never again hold her child. Sitting up carefully, she said quietly, "I think I need to get some air, okay?"

"Okay," Matt said, watching her get up in confusion. "Want me to come?"

"No," she said with a shake of her head. "You stay here and help Ben."

Matt watched her open the back door that led out to the deck and then looked at Ben. "She's not okay yet, is she?"

"She was pretty close to Ethan," Ben said, also watching Rey as she leaned over the deck to look out on the backyard. "It might take awhile."

* * *

Rey had been able to keep her fears buried as she cared for Ethan, but once she was alone on the deck with only her memories of the young boy, she could not hold her feelings down and she started to cry. She cried for what had become of his short life and how it had ended too soon. She cried for the loss of innocence and her breaking heart. At first she made no sound, but soon it grew in intensity, until she started to sob, taking in great gasps of air.

The wind blew, making her mane of hair as wild as horses, and she didn't hear the door behind her open or his footsteps approach. What she did hear was Ben's soft voice say, "There wasn't anything more you could have done, Rey."

Ben turned her around to face him and wrapped her in his arms. She laid her head on his chest and tried get her emotions under control. But it was no use. They were sobs of pure grief and would not be calmed by an intimate embrace or the force of her strong will. He held her for a few more minutes and then she felt his hand on her chin, warming her skin as he tilted her head up. 

"Rey," he said softly, but she didn't respond immediately and so he spoke to her again. "Look at me, Rey."

His tone was like the one Maz always used and Rey instinctively knew to obey that voice.

Her teary gaze lifted to his and all Ben wanted to do was take all that hurt and pain away. "You did all that you and medicine could do for Ethan. You of all people know that life isn't always fair," he said softly. "You did everything that could have been done and then when you couldn't do anymore, you made sure that he died feeling safe and loved. Not many other doctors would have done that for him. But you did. And that has to be what helps you sleep tonight."

Rey grew calmer as she looked into his eyes. She had a focus, something to distract her from the grief that seemed to be overwhelming her. And her breathing slowly returned to normal. "He was so young," she whispered. "Younger than Matt."

"I know," Ben whispered back. "There's nothing about this that doesn't suck. But you have to walk away from this. You gave him all you had, but it was just his time to go."

"I should have let you do the surgery."

"I told you not to do that to yourself," he reminded her gently, knowing exactly where she was going to go with this.

"I'm so stubborn sometimes," she said, anger beginning to creep into her voice. "I just wanted to be right. I wanted you to be wrong and me to be right and now Ethan..."

"That's not what happened," Ben assured her and he moved his hand to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "You were right to insist on the drug trials. He may not have survived the surgery. Don't do this to yourself."

"That woman lost her son," Rey said, a fresh round of tears beginning to grip her. "Right now she is planning her child's funeral. No parent should ever have to bury their child," she murmured, stepping away from him. 

In the short time he had known her, he could see that Rey had no desire to have windows made into her own soul, and fled from those who would try. She feared their sight almost as much as she feared their protection. But that wasn't going to stop him from offering it to her. In some ways he and Rey were like kindred souls. He shut out the world for fear of being hurt the exact same way she did. He knew the game because it’s the very one he played himself. They were like two sides of the same coin.

"You're going to freeze out here," Ben said, reaching out to run his hands up and down her arms to supply some warmth. He could feel the goosebumps that rose up on her arms as the chilly night air hit her skin.

"I'll be fine," she said quietly, not meeting his eyes.

"Yes," he joked. "Because that damn pride of yours is going to keep you warm, right?"

Ignoring his sarcasm, Rey looked up at him. "Why are you here?"

"To make you French toast."

"I can make my own French toast."

"I know," Ben conceded. "But I only do about two nice things a year and time is running out, so I figured I would do something nice for you," he said, hoping to make her smile. It didn't work. So he tried again. "And because you're a pretty good kisser," he teased. “So I figured that if I gave you a shoulder to cry on and spouted out a few insightful words, I could play on your vulnerable moment and you might kiss me some more."

"Don't patronize me," Rey said stubbornly once she realized that he was joking. "Or feel sorry for me. I can deal with this."

"I have no doubt about that," Ben said. "But you don't have to deal with it alone. Okay?"

Rose's words from earlier in the day ran through her head and almost made her laugh. Neither of them could have realized that those words would ring true for Rey so quickly. And then she surprised herself by sliding her arms around Ben, his warmth enveloping her, warding off the chill night air. They stood there in the dark in each others arms for a few moments and Rey began to replay the day's events in her mind again. Her feelings overwhelmed her and she found her voice suddenly betray her heart.

"I’m so tired of feeling sad all the time," she whispered into the darkness. "I don't want to feel numb anymore."

The well she carried within her began to overflow and she looked up, instantly trapped by his gaze. She brushed the tips of her fingers along his jaw and he stilled, watching her silently. She rose on tiptoe and tugged him toward her. His face came ever closer and soon the warmth of his lips met the chillness of her own.

For a split second Ben stood there, frozen, the world around him fading to nothing more than white noise, but when he felt her start to pull away, he cupped her face in his hands, keeping her lips locked on his.

The heat generated from his kiss consumed her and was hotter than any fire she had ever been near. Rey melted deeper into him, her arms found their way around his neck and her fingers were lost in the darkness of his hair, as a low moan escaped his lips.

Rey could feel herself slipping into what she did not know. Ben was a man who could end up breaking her heart, and her heart could not contain another wound. But he had been binding himself to her with every kind word, every piercing glance and she felt herself sinking. She didn't know how much further she could sink without harm. But still, she could not pull away from his embrace and the warmth it brought to her numb body and spirit. She didn't know what might have happened next, for it was Ben who pulled away from their kiss. 

"I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm going to stop you right there,” he murmured, his voice rough as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"Because my son is sitting just beyond that door waiting for French toast?" Rey asked, trying to catch her breath.

"Well, that..." He reached up to brush the hair out of her face and tucked it behind her ear. "And because I don't want you to see me as just another guy who took advantage of you during a moment of weakness." 

"What do you want me to see you as?" she asked breathlessly, her heart contracting.

"I don't know," Ben admitted truthfully, realizing that this woman brought feelings out of him that he had been running away from for a long time. "But I definitely want you to see me,” he said, his thumb brushing her lower lip.

Rey regarded him with tired eyes and a newfound respect. "Thank you, Ben," she whispered.

"For what?" 

"For being here."


	13. Chapter 13

Rey stretched her arms over her head, the movements slow and feline-like as a smile came to her face. She opened her eyes to glance out the window. The light slanted in through the glass and she could tell from its position that she had slept far beyond her usual time. She sighed contentedly and started to get out of bed when the arm draped across her waist suddenly tightened its grip. She froze for a moment before slowly easing Ben's arm away from her and quietly slipped into the safe and empty confines of her master bathroom. Closing the door firmly behind her, Rey sat on the edge of her tub as she let the water for her shower begin to heat up.

She remembered that in a moment of emotional weakness she had fallen asleep in Ben's arms. And what had occurred between them had not been physical or sexual, but it had been the most intimate night she had spent in a long time. Ben's eyes had seemed to see right into her soul, as if reading all that she wanted to say, yet he didn't offer any more words of comfort or support. So she'd simply gazed up at him as they climbed into her bed, his body curling protectively around hers. Together they laid in quiet stillness until she lifted her hand from his chest and stroked her fingers gently across his cheek.

Rey wasn't sure when exactly these whirlwind emotions had sprung up, but they were hitting her hard and fast. She couldn't remember the last time she had given leave to her emotions and simply felt so much. It was like getting caught in a blizzard of feelings, and she had the small inclination that he was feeling the same. She noted how he sighed softly as she touched him, and smiled as he leaned forward, brushing his lips against her forehead.

She lifted her head and his gaze met hers. There was a meaning behind his eyes that she couldn't find the words for, but that she understood. They needed each other. In so many ways. And that was how they had fallen asleep, finding comfort from a horrible day in each other's arms.

Lonely wasn't really the word to describe her, Rey thought as she removed her clothes and stepped under the soothing spray of her shower. She had so many amazing people in her life who loved and supported her, and who never failed to make her smile. Being surrounded by so many people wasn't exactly the environment of lonely people. There was always someone around for her to talk to, to vent out her frustrations, and to laugh with.

I'm not lonely, Rey concluded as she massaged the shampoo into her hair. She had been acquainted with the feeling of loneliness before - being placed in foster care after her parents abandoned her, the days following Zane's passing, and her first few weeks in London - so she knew that whatever it was that she was feeling lately, loneliness wasn't it.

What she was feeling, she deduced, was a sense of incompletion. Her friends could see it, hell, even her ten-year-old son was aware that there was a horribly big part of her that was missing, and had been missing since the day Zane died. Rey had searched everywhere for that something or someone that would make her whole. She'd foolishly thought for a short period of time that Jaxon was it, but nothing satisfied her need for completion, and every relationship she'd had since left her feeling more and more incomplete.

In truth, she knew deep down inside her that she was yearning for someone in her life. She wanted someone to whisper sweet nothings in her ear and make her feel like the most beautiful woman on earth. She wanted someone to hold her, to make her feel loved. She needed someone to complement her. This need to be whole drove her nearly insane sometimes.

And into her insanity stepped Ben Solo.

He came crashing into her world, literally, and it was as though she'd met her match. Rey had observed him long enough to know that he needed someone just like she did and that he was also seeking a human and emotional connection. She had seen it in him when he looked at her son, she had heard it in his voice and she had felt it in his embrace. What's more, Ben sensed her incompletion as much as she sensed his need to have someone to hold.

He wanted someone to hold, she wanted to be held by someone. They happened to be together at the right place and the right time. He hadn't had any words to comfort her, just reminders of the harsh truth of their profession. But she hadn't needed words, she just needed him and whatever he could provide. And last night when he held her, she felt complete.

Resting her forehead against the wall of her shower, Rey groaned, knowing that everything in her life was about to get more complicated.

Pulling herself together, she stepped out of the shower and set about getting ready for the day. She stepped into her closet, silently thankful that her house was built so that she didn't have to walk back through the bedroom to get her clothes, and pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater before returning to the bathroom. Opening the bathroom door a little bit to alleviate the steam that accumulated from her shower, Rey began to run her fingers through her towel-dried hair.

From the bed, Ben lazily opened his eyes and caught the sight of Rey's reflection in the large bathroom mirror. It had been a long time, not since Bazine had he watched a woman get ready in the early morning light and he kind of enjoyed watching Rey's routine. He grinned as she fussed with her hair and makeup, completely unaware of how beautiful she was without any effort at all.

As if she could feel his eyes on her, Rey suddenly turned around to catch him watching her. "Good morning," he said in a low voice, still groggy from sleep.

"Good morning," she returned sharply, sharper than she had intended as she walked back into the bedroom. "Did you sleep well?"

"Best sleep that I've had in my entire life," Ben said honestly, feeling a sense of contentment that he had never experienced before.

Rey caught the tone of his voice and looked down at him with soft eyes. "Thank you, Ben. Last night was..." she fumbled with her words, paused, and then simply said, "Thank you for being here."

"I don't think either of us needed to be alone," Ben said softly.

"But you need to go now," she said quickly, walking over to her bedroom door. "Matt is not going to understand this."

"And what is _this_?" he asked quietly and they locked eyes for the briefest of seconds.

"Something I don't think either of us is ready for," she whispered.

Ben didn't argue with her, nor did he agree with her assessment of the situation. They simply hovered in the silence of the bedroom for a few moments before Rey turned toward the door. "You should probably get up. If we're lucky, Matt might still be asleep and he won't have to know that you're still here."

"Because that would be a bad thing, right?"

Rey took a deep breath. "My son has gotten it into his head that you and I are going to fall in love and live happily ever after. Something like this, finding you here in the morning and knowing that you never left, is only going to add fire to the crazy matchmaking ideas in his head. I don't want him to get his hopes up and—"

"Fine," Ben said curtly, throwing back the covers and swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Hurry," Rey said, just as curtly, as she opened the door and walked out of the room. She found her son in the family room, watching SpongeBob SquarePants, an empty bowl of cereal in his lap. "Morning, sunshine," she said, leaning down to plant a kiss on the top of his head. "You're up early."

"It's almost ten o'clock," Matt informed her, never taking his eyes off the television screen. "You slept really late."

"I must have been tired," she responded lamely, moving into the kitchen to pour herself some orange juice.

Matt tore his attention away from the TV at the tone in her voice and turned to look at her with worried eyes. "Are you feeling better?"

"I am," Rey assured him with a nod. "All I needed was a good night's sleep."

"Good," he said, his lips curving into a smile. "You were kind of out of it when you got home. And you were really quiet during dinner."

"As much as I try to leave things at the hospital most of the time, sometimes I just can't," she said quietly. "And Ethan's death just hit me really hard, I guess." She smiled at him and brightened her tone. "Are you still hungry? If you get dressed really quick, I think we could make it to—" Rey was just finishing her suggestion when the sound of feet bounding down the stairs caught Matt's attention.

He looked confused at first but when he saw Ben descend the staircase, his grin widened. "Dr. Ben?"

"Good morning," Ben said lightly, stepping into the family room.

"What are you doing here?" Matt asked, and then before either adult could answer he added, "Did you sleep over? With my mom?" He looked at Rey with wide, expectant eyes. "Is he your boyfriend now?" A triumphant look came over him. "See? I knew that if you just gave Dr. Ben a chance then you would—"

"He's not my boyfriend," Rey stated flatly, finally finding her voice and avoiding Ben's eyes.

Confusion flashed in Matt's eyes, but the smile never left his face. "But he slept over."

How the hell was she going to explain this to him? Rey wondered as she rubbed her face with her hands. "Matt..." she muttered. 

"Is this going to be the sex talk?"

"What?" Rey gasped in disbelief as Ben laughed out loud.

"Because Uncle DJ and I already had that talk," Matt continued, unfazed by both of their reactions. 

"What?" Rey repeated, stunned by this new information.

"He told me not to tell you," Matt said sheepishly. "But we talked about it last summer when Claudia was pregnant."

"And what did Uncle DJ say?" Rey asked, trying to recover her senses.

"That Claudia got pregnant when she was married to Frank, but then she found out that he was a creep and that's why she is with Uncle DJ now."

"About sex, Matthew," Rey interrupted tightly, leaning against the bookshelf so that she wouldn't fall over from shock and embarrassment. "What did Uncle DJ say about sex?"

"Oh," Matt said simply, as Ben tried his best not to burst out laughing again at the exchange between mother and son. "He said that when two people love each other very much, sex is a way that they express that."

Rey groaned at his explanation and silently vowed to shoot DJ with his own gun, but then realized where Matt was going with this line of thinking. "Ben and I are not in love," she said quickly, continuing to avoid Ben's stare. "And we did not have sex." She took a deep breath and rested her head in her hand. "God, I can't believe I'm having this conversation with my ten-year-old son," she mumbled.

"But he slept over," Matt reminded his mother as Ben continued to watch the scene with interest.

"Yes, but I was upset," Rey tried to explain. "And..."

"We fell asleep," Ben said, finally jumping into the conversation. "Yesterday was a long, hard day and we were both sad and tired and we ended up falling asleep."

"In my mom's room?" Matt asked in an almost accusatorial tone. But before Ben could answer, he added slyly, "I saw you two kissing out on the deck before dinner."

"Well..." This time it was Ben's turn to be at a loss for words. He had always prided himself on not having too many morning after conversations, so he certainly wasn't prepared for this little exchange with Rey's son.

"Matthew," Rey said sharply before raising her eyebrows at him. "Do you remember the conversation we had about me not having to explain all of my choices to you, because I'm the adult and you are the child?" Matt nodded as Ben bit back his grin at her attempt to take control of the conversation. "Well, this is one of those times when neither Ben or I are going to explain ourselves to you."

But Matt was not going to give up that easily. "So is he your boyfriend or not?"

"No."

"But you like each other," Matt said in exasperation. "And you have lots of stuff in common and you think he's a good guy and Dr. Ben thinks you're pretty." He looked from Rey to Ben. "And now you've had dinners together and you made us French toast and you kissed her. Plus, you slept over in her room." He slid his eyes back to Rey. "Isn't that what a boyfriend does?" he asked in frustration. 

Rey opened her mouth to respond and then immediately shut it again as she thought about how to answer him. "I've already told you that it's complicated and..." she trailed off, unable to process any coherent thoughts. 

"Stop saying that!" Matt shouted. "It's not complicated! You're making it complicated! So, just stop it!"

Rey and Ben both exchanged looks at his sudden outburst.

"I told you that this was going to happen," she muttered under her breath at him.

Ben ignored her and focused on Matt. "Well, then what do you want us to say?" he asked quietly.

"Say that you like each other," Matt told him desperately. "Say that you want to be her boyfriend."

"It's not that easy—"

"Yes, it is," Matt interrupted. "So just go out on a date and figure it all out." He shook his head and sighed loudly. "Everybody else seems to be able to do it."

Ben and Rey simply watched him disappear up the stairs in stunned silence.

"Maybe he has a point," he said quietly, before he could stop himself.

Rey turned to look at him and they locked eyes once again. "What did you have in mind?" she asked, pasting a look of complete innocence on her face.

His mouth tilted upward in a slow grin, causing his dimple to crease deeply. "I've heard that Rouge puts on one heck of a romantic, candlelight dinner for two. A cozy table in a quiet corner, a little champagne, soft music and moonlight dancing, fancy French food followed by some chocolate covered strawberries."

"And where did you hear that?"

"From all of those people who seem to be able to figure things out," Ben teased, throwing Matt's words at her. "You know...Rose and Hux, Paige and Dominic, my uncle and Mara."

"Ah, those people," Rey mused, trying hard not to give in to the smile playing on her lips. "Be careful there. What you were describing sounded almost like a date. A date that certainly is not going to end with us waking up in my bedroom again." She winked at him coyly. 

"I seem to be doing a lot of things that aren't my style since meeting you," Ben said and then returned her wink. "But that doesn't mean I'm not willing to give it a shot."


	14. Chapter 14

Rey ran her jittery hands over the length of her dress as she waited for Ben to arrive. He had been called in for an emergency craniotomy and they'd agreed it would be best if he met her at the restaurant. Concentrating on the activities going on around her, Rey tried to shake off any outward signs of nervousness. 

From the moment Ben had left her house that morning, everything that had happened between them had started to seem too good to be true. Like a dream. Was tonight going to be awkward? Was last night just about Ben feeling sorry for her? Or was there really more to what was going on between them than Rey wanted to admit? She sighed, shifting in her seat as she admitted silently to herself that she already knew the answer to that question.

She was never entirely sure what first drew her to Ben. There was just something indescribable something about him that attracted her like a moth to a flame. It could have been his boyish charm peaking through his sophisticated exterior, because he could be devilishly suave when he chose to be. It might have been his compassion and understanding that he always seemed to have in limitless supplies for Matt. Or perhaps it was the fact that he was easily among the handsomest men she had ever laid eyes on - tall, broad shouldered with brooding wide, pouty lips and eyes that seemed to be able to see right through her. 

It was a bit scary for her to begin seeing Ben in that light and Rey didn’t know if she was ready to fall so hard for a man again. But, in all honesty, who ever is? But for her especially, falling in love was one of the riskiest things she had ever done. The first time she fell in love, it led to the greatest heartbreak she had ever known when she lost Zane. But it gave her Matt. And the second time she took a chance on love, she lost her ability to trust in people when Jaxon shattered her faith in him. She simply didn't trust love anymore. 

And now there was Ben. She had only known him for three months. Three months of torture. Three months of absolute mental agony. Three months of being unsure of herself, of truths she had believed in for a long time, of almost everything, it seemed. But only one truth stood among the chaos of her uncertainty. She knew exactly how she felt, and it was driving her crazy. She would gladly have traded the clarity of that truth for confusion or oblivion, if only her life would get back to normal. Ben was wrong for her. She knew it in her gut. Besides that, she didn’t want to turn into the latest in a long string of conquests. She was better than that. She deserved more.

“Of all the dresses I have seen you wear in our brief history,” a low voice above her drawled suddenly, shaking her out of her thoughts. “I think this one is my favourite.”

Rey looked up to find Ben, wearing a crisp white dress shirt and dark suit, looking down at her with unabashed heat in his eyes. She could feel herself blush at his words as he sat down in the chair across from her without ever taking his eyes off of her. She noticed that not a single one of his dark hairs were out of place and she had never seen him look so handsome.

“Well, you look pretty nice yourself,” she returned coolly as she took a sip of her champagne, more out of the sudden need to do something with her hands than a desire for the drink.

“Pretty nice doesn’t begin to cover it,” Ben murmured, still staring at her.

“Stop,” she told him, setting her glass on the table and looking down in embarrassment at the menu.

Ben grinned. “You know, you take a compliment worse than anyone I’ve ever met.”

Rey shook her head and pretended to scan the menu. It had been so long since she had actually gone out on a first date that she felt a little out of practice, a bit lost. “Everything looks so good.”

“Yes, it does,” he agreed, and when Rey looked over at him, she saw that he hadn’t even picked up his menu.

She looked away from him again and realized that she was in far deeper than she had imagined. She should never have agreed to this date. They were so wrong for each other, too much alike for things to ever work out. Feeling the sudden need to set some ground rules, Rey set down her menu and looked at him. “Let’s just get through this evening without any more comments like that, okay?”

“Comments like what?” he asked, confused by her sudden shift in attitude.

“Compliments,” she hissed, trying not to draw attention to herself. “Personal stuff.”

“This is a date, Rey,” Ben reminded her calmly. “You’re supposed to talk about personal stuff. _Especially_ on this date.”

“What does that mean?”

“Aren’t we here to figure out what _this_,” he motioned between the two of them. “Really is?”

“Is your memory that selective or are you just suffering from some grand delusion?” Rey asked sharply.

“Neither, apparently,” he shot back. “Because I have absolutely no idea what is going on with you right now. But I definitely don’t think I like it.”

Rey could feel her fear and anxiety rising to the surface. And it was coming out as anger. “I’m just doing this for Matt. _This_,” she mimicked the motion he had made just a few moments before. “Is going to turn out to be nothing.”

“Well, I think that last night proved that you’re wrong about that,” Ben said softly.

Rey bit her lip, her emotions tumbling over themselves. “Last night was a mistake. It was a moment of weakness and—“

“What the hell is going on here?” Ben asked, interrupting her. His tone hadn't changed, but there was a tension in the air that hadn't been there before. “I came here prepared to have a nice, romantic dinner with a beautiful woman and suddenly I’m getting this garbage from you about—“

“It’s not garbage,” Rey said flatly. “I’ve thought about this all day and—“

“Okay, here we go,” he muttered, rolling his eyes at her. “This should be good.”

Rey ignored his sarcastic interruption. “Nothing more than friendship can happen between us from now on.”

“Why?”

“Because of Matt,” Rey said quietly.

“Matt?” Ben repeated in confusion. “If I remember correctly, this whole evening was Matt’s idea. In fact, you just said that you only came here because of him.”

“I did.”

Ben waited a moment for her to finish her explanation but when she didn’t say anything more, he exhaled softly. “I’m going to need a little more of an explanation than that.”

Rey looked across the table at him and took a deep breath. “I’m an old-fashioned kind of girl, Ben. With a very impressionable son. I can’t become another one of your flings.”

Ben furrowed his brows. “What the hell are you talking about?”

She stared at him for a moment. “The female staff at the hospital...”

His eyes suddenly widened in understanding. “You should know better than to believe everything you hear,” he scoffed, shaking his head. "The hospital grapevine is pretty much like the telephone game."

“But—“

Ben sighed loudly. “What do you want from me? You want me to propose on the first date?” he asked sarcastically. “I don’t work that way.”

“I know,” Rey said quietly. “But I need someone that I can be certain of—“

“And you’re certain that’s not me?” he interrupted softly. “And you came to this grand conclusion before ever giving me a chance to prove myself to either you or Matt?”

“Look,” Rey said, trying to explain her feelings to him. “I’m not saying that I’m not attracted to you. I am. Very attracted.”

“Great,” he said sharply. “Is that supposed to be my consolation prize?”

“I come with enough baggage to open my own leather goods store,” Rey continued, not really listening to him as she tried to get her own jumbled feelings out in the open. “And Matt is really vulnerable, even though he pretends that he’s not. And I just can’t get into a doomed relationship with someone who obviously isn’t ready to take all of that on.”

“Someone like me?” he sneered, leaning back against his chair. “Well, thank you so much for making that decision for me.”

“Ben...”

“It’s not like I’m a grown man and could decide for myself whether or not I wanted to start a relationship with you,” Ben continued, his tone just a little cooler than usual. “Is there anything else you’d like to decide for me while you’re at it? Like what I should have for dinner? Or what tie I should wear to that medical conference next month?”

“I didn’t mean to—“

But he cut her off again. “But I guess you only like making the big decisions for me, is that it?” There was a cynical, bitter edge to his voice. 

It wasn’t really a question, so Rey remained silent as he continued, “Do you think I didn’t know who you were when I showed up at your house last night? Do you think I’m stupid? That I didn’t drive around for hours just like you, before I took that step? I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew that showing up at your house and being there for you after Ethan died was going to change things. And it scared the hell out of me. But I did it anyway. Because I was willing to give it a shot. And I thought that you were, too. Which is why I came here tonight.” He shook his head in disgust. “Like an idiot.”

Rey drew in a shaky breath. “It’s different for me. I have more to risk.” When Ben's eyes narrowed at her words, so she continued quickly, “I have Matt to think about.”

“This has nothing to do with Matt,” he accused her angrily. “It doesn’t even have anything to do with me, really. This is about you, Rey. You and your fears. They cripple you and cause you to deny yourself even the slightest chance of happiness.”

“That’s not true.”

Ben stood up suddenly, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “I can’t compete with a ghost and I can’t change what Jaxon did to you." At the surprised look on her face, he quickly informed her that Rose had filled him in on the reason for their breakup. "I’m not Zane and I’m not Jaxon. I’m just me, but apparently that isn’t enough for you.” He shook his head wearily. “Maybe you’re right, maybe nothing can ever happen between us,” he said defeatedly. “But it has nothing to do with me or what you may seem to think of my supposed love life.” He looked at her and the emotions visible in his dark eyes bore into her very soul. “If you can’t trust me or yourself enough to even give me a chance, then things will never work.”

Rey watched him walk away and thought about going after him, about making things right. About telling him that he was wrong about her. But in the end, she sat frozen in her seat, because deep down, she knew he wasn’t wrong about her. And they both knew it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that happened...


	15. Chapter 15

"Good morning, Sunshine."

Rey blinked sleepily as she opened the front door to find Maz standing on her doorstep.

"You don't look so good," Maz said, pushing past her and heading straight toward the kitchen, carrying a tray of coffee cups and a bag from the downtown bakery.

"It's seven o'clock in the morning. No one looks good at seven o'clock in the morning," Rey muttered, following her foster mom. 

"That's true," Maz agreed, busying herself with hunting through Rey's cabinets for plates to set out the muffins and croissants.

"What's going on here?" Rey asked, coming to sit on one of the stools by the island. "Why are you here at seven o'clock in the morning?" she paused, wrinkling up her nose. "Why are you awake at seven o'clock in the morning? It's Sunday...isn't this supposed to be a day of rest?"

"We are in crisis mode," Maz informed her, pushing a cup of coffee across the island counter. 

"Is someone having a crisis?" Rey asked innocently, inhaling the aroma of the coffee that was meant for her. 

"You, my dear," Maz said, opening up the refrigerator. "I was at the restaurant last night. Do you have any jam?"

Rey frowned. "What do you mean, you were the restaurant?"

"Is grape the only kind you have?" Maz asked, ignoring the question. "Oh, wait...there's some strawberry."

Rey ignored Maz's inane chatterings about the type of jelly in her fridge. "I'm not having a crisis."

"Your date walked out before you could even order dinner," Maz said. "That's kind of a crisis-y thing to have happen on your first date in a hundred years."

"It wasn't my first date in a hund—" Rey began to protest.

"But it was your first real date with Ben," Maz reminded her gently. "Here, have a muffin. I got cranberry orange because I know it's your favourite."

Rey drew in a deep breath. "I'm not having a crisis. Ben left because I wanted him to. I picked the fight."

"It's worse than I thought," Maz surmised, raising her eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rey grumbled.

"Why did you pick the fight?" Maz asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Because..." Rey stumbled with her thoughts and looked down at the counter. If she lied, Maz would see right through her. So, she confessed quietly, "Because I think I'm in falling in love with him."

If her big pronouncement came as a shock to Maz, she hid it well. In fact, she kept concentrating on their breakfast as if Rey hadn't just made the most important announcement of her life.

"And?" Maz asked simply, pulling apart her blueberry muffin.

"And?" Rey huffed. "I just told you that I think I'm falling in love with Ben. You came over here at seven o'clock in the morning to talk about this, so maybe you could try acting like this isn't just some common occurrence."

"Rey, honey," Maz said, biting back a smile. "This isn't news to me. I know."

"Of course you know," Rey snapped, picking at her muffin. "I just told you."

"No, I mean, I've known for weeks," Maz said, taking a sip of her coffee. "Did you think I wouldn't notice?"

Rey simply gaped at Maz. How had she figured it out before she knew about it herself? "How did you know?" she demanded. "I wasn't even sure until yesterday."

"Just because you didn't know about it doesn't mean that it wasn't there," Maz replied. "So, you still haven't told me why you picked a fight with him."

"Who did you pick a fight with?"

Both Rey and Maz turned their heads when they heard Matt's voice as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hi, Aunt Maz. What are you doing here?" he asked, rubbing his sleepy eyes. 

"I brought breakfast," Maz said, gesturing to the plates of baked goods. "Want a muffin?"

"Yeah," Matt said excitedly, scooting between Rey and Maz to grab a muffin from the plate. "So, who did you pick a fight with?" he asked, turning back to his mother. 

"Ben..."

"Dr. Ben?" Matt asked, his eyes widening in surprise. "You picked a fight with Dr. Ben? When? Last night?"

"Yes, but—"

"Is that why you came home so early?" Matt asked accusingly, his eyes blazing.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Matt, this is not the time to—"

"You said you would try!" he shouted. "You promised!"

"I did try," Rey told him gently. "But Ben and I are not—"

"You didn't try!" Matt said, interrupting her explanation. "You lied to me!"

"Matthew!" Rey snapped, glancing nervously at Maz.

"You picked a fight with him to make him mad so that you wouldn't have to try to see if you liked each other!" he continued, not caring who was there to witness his tantrum. 

"That's not what happened," Rey said sharply. But that was exactly what had happened. And everyone in the room knew it. 

"I hate you!" he shouted, stunning Rey with his angry words. "You ruined everything! You don't care about what I want!"

Matthew Kellan!" Rey fired back angrily. "Don't you dare talk to me that way! Now, just go up to your room until you can settle—"

"Fine!" Matt said, throwing his muffin down on the counter. "I'll go anywhere to get away from you!"

As he stomped back up to his bedroom, Rey turned to look at Maz. "He liked Ben and had this crazy idea that the three of us were going to live happily ever after." She shook her head as they heard the door to Matt's room slam shut. "I've never seen him act like that," she muttered. "He's usually really calm and..."

"He's a smart kid," Maz observed, looking pointedly at Rey. "Do you want me to go talk to him?"

"No," Rey said, picking up her coffee cup with shaky hands. She had never heard those words fall from Matt's lips and it upset her more than she wanted to let on. "He'll be fine. He'll get over it."

"Will he?" Maz asked gently. "Because I've never heard him talk to you like that before. He's really upset."

Rey's eyes filled with hot tears as she slumped her shoulders. "I knew he would take it badly, but..." Her voice trailed off as the tears slid down her cheeks. "I just broke his little heart. I just did to him what I have spent my whole life protecting him from."

Maz put her arm around Rey's shoulders and a soothing silence fell over the kitchen. Not a sound could be heard from Matt's room on the second floor and the house was eerily quiet.

"I'm scared," Rey finally whispered into the silence.

"I know," Maz murmured. "But the important question is, do you know what it is that you're scared of?"

"Ben," Rey mumbled after a moment. "Falling for Ben and not having him love me back. And then having him break both my heart and Matt's."

"Well, let's tackle the 'not having him love you back' part," Maz said reasonably. "He showed up last night, right? And he showed up the night before to help you get over the little boy's death." She removed her arm from Rey's shoulder and shrugged. "You told me that he was a player, right? Well, that was Friday and Saturday night, prime dating nights for a player. But where was he? With you. Letting you cry and then getting yelled at."

"He's not a player," Rey said quietly. "I was wrong. I was entirely wrong about him. I should've known better than to believe the hospital gossip." She picked at her muffin again. "I think I really hurt him."

"Gossip almost always do more harm than good," Maz said softly. "And as for the part about Ben breaking yours and Matt's hearts, so what? You've been through worse. Being abandoned by your parents, losing Zane, surviving Jaxon, raising a child on your own while you made a success of your career." She squeezed Rey's hand and smiled. "You, Rey Niima, are a survivor. And no one, not even Ben Solo can break you. He might bruise you and beat your heart up a little bit, but he won't ever break you. And Matt is just like you. And if Ben does break your heart a little, I'm always here to help pick up the pieces."

Rey smiled through her tears as Maz continued, "And why are you focusing on the end of a would-be relationship, anyway? Why create more misery for yourself? We know that life is pretty good at providing unhappiness and pain all on its own. It doesn't need our help. Especially when there's lots of good things to focus on instead." She smiled wickedly. "Like Ben's hair. And his eyes. And his..."

Rey chuckled softly at Maz's ability to cut through the sadness and get to the important stuff. "Yes, he does have some very nice qualities. But whether or not he can handle becoming a sudden family man is the trait that's most important to me right now."

"Do you know what the most surprising thing I've learned about love when it ends?" Maz asked, watching Rey carefully. "It doesn't actually kill you. Like a bullet to the heart or a head-on car collision, it should. And it sure feels like it sometimes. When someone you've handed your heart to hands it back to you in a million pieces, it should kill you instantly." 

Rey nodded in agreement as Maz continued, "But it doesn't. In fact, I think our hearts grow back bigger than they were before. I think the pain and heartache that you've been through have made you into the woman you are today. You may have gone through the emotional wringer, but you came out of it stronger on the other side. And since you've already been through worse than anything Ben can possibly dish out," she surmised. "You might as well have a little fun along the way. You never know, he could turn out to be the third great love of your life."

"Why are you suddenly on his side?" Rey asked, trying to lighten the tone of the conversation. 

Maz smiled and shook her head. "I'm not taking sides. I'm just saying that we never know who we can trust. Those we're closest to can betray us, and total strangers can come to our rescue. If you spend all your time worrying about how things are going to end, you're going to miss all the good stuff that comes before it," Maz reminded her. "If you had known that things were going to end with Zane the way they did, would that have stopped you from loving him?"

Rey looked at Maz for a few moments and then finally shook her head. "Not for a second," she whispered.

"So give Ben a shot," Maz encouraged with a smile. "Sometimes people can surprise you."

* * *

_Later that afternoon..._

Ben kicked the vending machine in frustration and groaned loudly when he heard a familiar voice behind him ask, "Rough day?" He set his face in a scowl and tried to avoid turning to see his uncle standing behind him with a knowing look. "It's nothing I can't handle," he said sharply as he retrieved the bag of chips from the machine and walked back to the table to finish his paperwork.

Luke was silent for a few minutes before he spoke again. "So what happened with Rey?"

"What makes you think this has anything to do with Rey," Ben scoffed, not looking up."

"You don't need to be an expert in human relationships to see that she matters to you. I thought the two of you were getting along pretty well."

"So did I."

"Does it have anything to do with why you're here on a Sunday afternoon instead of at Matt's football game?" Luke prodded when he didn't elaborate.

Ben looked up and sagged his shoulders. "I forgot about Matt's game," he said quietly. Then shaking off whatever emotion was running through him at the moment, he added flippantly, "I thought that Sunday afternoon would be a good time to get some work done...without interruptions."

"Am I interrupting you?" Luke asked in amusement. "You know, Mara and I had dinner with Maz last night and we saw you and Rey at the restaurant."

Ben narrowed his eyes. "And?"

"Maz went over to Rey's house this morning for a crisis management breakfast," Luke informed him, shrugging his shoulders before crossing his arms over his chest. "So, I figured that your crisis management plan would include burying yourself in a stack of paperwork."

"I'm not having a crisis," Ben said, leaning back against the chair and also crossing his arms over his chest. "In fact, last night was a real eye opener for me."

"In what way?"

"Rey Niima comes with enough baggage to take us all around the world and back...twice," Ben said. "No guy in his right mind should have to get involved in that. I can't believe I was even considering it. I'm just glad I found out now before—"

"Before what?" Luke challenged him. "Before you fell in love with her?"

"I'm not falling in love with her," Ben denied, shaking his head. "Most days, I can hardly stand her."

"Okay," Luke said simply, fighting back a grin as he poured himself a cup of coffee. It didn't take long as he had known it wouldn't for Ben to start again.

"I mean, you should have heard her," Ben complained. "She's coming up with all these reasons not to have a relationship with me and then twisting it to make it all my fault. And she's using her kid to hide behind and blaming her insecurities on him."

Luke simply nodded.

"And I don't do relationships, anyway."

"So I've heard."

"I'm no good at relationships," Ben explained, talking more to himself than to Luke. "Especially with women like Rey."

"Women like Rey?"

Women who deserve more than he had ever bothered to offer anyone, Ben thought silently to himself. But out loud, he pretended to ignore Luke's question. "Falling in love makes you vulnerable. It opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. I mean, look at Rey. She's built up all these defences. She practically wears a whole suit of armor so that nothing can hurt her."

"I don't know the whole story," Luke said gently. "But I do believe that Rey has earned that suit of armor."

"I'm not saying that she hasn't," Ben said quickly. "But it doesn't always work. Because one day some stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your life and suddenly you give them a piece of you. They didn't ask for it. They did something dumb one day, like kiss you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore."

Luke frowned. "Are we still talking about Rey?" he asked. "Because that's a rather bleak assessment of love and I've never heard Rey talk like that."

"Love takes your heart hostage," Ben continued, not sure whether he was trying to convince himself or his uncle. "It gets inside you. It eats you up and turns you into the kind of guy who—" He met Luke's eyes and held them for a second before he shrugged. "Love hurts."

"Everyone wants to be loved," Luke said quietly. "If they don't, it's because they're afraid."

"Or because they think that love is too much trouble."

"That's just another way of saying they're afraid." Luke walked over and sat down across the table from him. "You were blinded by love once. Bazine was completely wrong for you, everyone knew that, and we all heaved a big sigh of relief when you finally had the sense to end it. She was like a hand grenade designed to cause maximum destruction," he paused for a moment. "She even had me fooled for a while."

Ben shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He and Bazine had met in college and their relationship lasted an intense twelve months and it made him realize what he wanted, needed in a relationship. Trust. Honesty. 

"But when you find the right woman, it's important not to mess it up," Luke said, interrupting his thoughts. "When it's right, it can be perfect," he said softly. "It can save your life and show you things about yourself that you never even knew you wanted to know."

Ben was quiet for a moment. "But look what it did to Rey."

"Zane gave her Matt, but never lived to see him. And she has spent her entire life dedicated to that child, never thinking of herself first. She doesn't hide behind Matt, she lives through him. And now, here you are offering her the chance to live for herself and it scares her. That kind of fear can be debilitating. And it's often easier just to blow off the thing that's causing the fear and stay in the safe zone."

Ben considered Luke's words, his eyes searching his uncle's face. "I think about Rey all the time. Matt, too." He chuckled and a smile spread across his face. "He's a great kid. He reminds me a lot of myself at that age. I like him better than I like most adults. She did a great job with him."

"Yes," Luke said gently. "She did."

"But she informed me in no uncertain terms that the guy who gets involved with her has to be ready for an instant family." Ben shook his head. "If I'm not sure I'm ready for Rey, how can I possibly be ready for that?"

"For what?" Luke asked. "To be a part of Matt's life? I hate to break it to you, kid, but you're already a part of his life. Both of their lives. You spent this past week putting their needs ahead of your own. Matt with his football practice and Rey with dealing with Ethan." He smiled warmly at Ben. "And you did it without even thinking about it. Imagine what you could do if you really put forth some effort. You can't choose love, it chooses you."

Ben scowled. "Actually, I think Matt chose me."

"For his mom. Who he loves more than anyone in this world," Luke said. "That has to tell you something." 

Ben knew in his heart that his uncle was right, the times he had spent with Rey and Matt in the last few weeks had been more than he could have ever imagined. He didn't want to lose that feeling. He didn't want to lose them.

"Do you know how many people never find someone that makes them feel the way Rey makes you feel?" Luke asked. "You and Rey found each other in this crazy world under crazy circumstances, and that's all that matters at the end of the day. There should be nothing stopping you from celebrating it."

Ben shook his head. "Well, first, I'm going to have to convince her of that. And it's not going to be easy."

Luke chuckled and agreed. "No, it's not. But I think you might be able to recruit Matt and Finn to help you. From what I hear, they can be pretty convincing when they want to be."

Ben smiled. "Thanks, Uncle Luke."

Luke stood up and clamped his hand down on Ben's shoulder, gave him a squeeze, and then turned to walk out of the doctor's lounge, leaving Ben alone with his thoughts.

There was just something about Rey that he couldn't stay away from no matter how difficult she made things between them. Something about her that was making him fall in love with her. Something about her that he couldn't deny. Something about her that made him think that she was the best person in the world for him. He had spent too many of his days thinking about her, trying to convince himself that she was right, that they weren't right for each other, that they were never going to make it as a couple. Her with all of her issues, and he, with all of his own. 

They were friends. He was nice to her son and she tolerated him, and she seemed more than willing to leave it there, nothing else, not for lack of hope on his part. He had spent most of the day talking himself out of thinking about her, convincing himself to go with someone with no strings attached, that he could love easily and be loved by. That was what he needed, a nice simple girl, a ditzy blonde, the stereotype of a trophy wife. That was what he needed. But instead he wanted chestnut curls and hazel eyes and cute little freckles spattered across her nose. That was the image that invaded his dreams. And he still tried to convince himself that she wasn't the one.

Ben was dragged away from his thoughts by the sudden vibration of his cell phone. He looked down at the screen and the faintest of smiles pulled at the corners of his lips. "Are you calling to apologize? Because after your behaviour last night, I believe some serious grovelling on your part is in order before I will even—" But Rey's frantic voice silenced his teasing.

"Is Matt with you?"

"What?"

"Matt!" Rey repeated, the tone in her voice suddenly causing his own heart to beat faster. "Did he come to see you?"

"No," Ben said slowly. "I'm at the hospital. What's going on?"

"He's gone."


	16. Chapter 16

“She’s in the backyard.”  
  
Ben looked over his passenger window to see Rose standing beside his car where he was still sitting, parked outside of Rey’s house. His first inclination when he heard that Matt had disappeared was to run straight over to the house, to run straight to Rey. But when he arrived fifteen minutes ago, he had seen that he wasn’t the only one with the same inclination. Several familiar looking cars lined the street outside of her home signalling that they had already heard about Matt. Rey was surrounded by people concerned about her and Matt. She didn’t need him.  
  
He rolled down the window. “How is she?”  
  
“Scared,” Rose said. “Worried. Guilty.”  
  
“Guilty?”  
  
Rose eyed him carefully. “They had a bit of a nasty fight this morning. Matt got angry and stomped up to his room, and Rey decided to let him stew for awhile. When she went up to get him for the football game, his window was open and Matt was nowhere in sight.”  
  
Ben glanced up at the second floor of the house. “Matt’s room is right up there above the front porch. He could have easily gotten out onto the roof and climbed down that tree in the yard.”  
  
“That’s what the police thinks,” Rose confirmed with a nod. “I’m sure that once this is all over, Rey is going to have that tree cut down.”  
  
“They called in the police?” Ben asked, nodding over to where a squad car was parked. “Is it really that serious?”  
  
“Detective Dameron is her friend,” Rose reminded him, leaning against his car. “And he was with Paige when Rey called to ask if she’d seen Matt. So the police aren’t here in any official capacity. We think he’s only been gone an hour or so.”  
  
“Where do they think he went?”  
  
“He could be anywhere,” Rose said, her eyes scanning the neighbourhood. "Dominic and Paige headed over to the football field to see if he went to the game on his own, Jannah went to the arcade, Kaydel is checking the library, and Mitaka and Hux are about to head over to the park."

"What about the cemetery?" Ben asked.

"There's no grave," Rose said quietly, knowing what Ben was referring to. "Zane's ashes were scattered."  
  
“And you?”  
  
“I'm going to walk around the neighbourhood,” she said, and then nodded toward the house. “Maz is staying with Rey in case someone calls in and Detective Dameron is coordinating everything from the living room.”  
  
Ben nodded. “So, I guess everything is taken care of here.” He looked out the front windshield of his car. “I’ll just get going. Will you call me when—“  
  
“No,” Rose said sharply. “I will not call you because you’re not going anywhere. Now, get your ass out of the car."  
  
“Excuse me?”  
  
“No, I will not excuse you,” Rose shot back. “You’ve been sitting out here for almost fifteen minutes and now it’s time to go inside and prove that everyone except Rey has been right about you all along.”  
  
“She doesn’t need me—“ Ben began to protest.  
  
“Yes, she does,” Rose interrupted. “They both do.”  
  
They locked eyes and there was no denying the deeper meaning behind that statement.  
  
“If you blow it now,” Rose said quietly. “You might not get another chance.”  
  
“I don’t know if this is the right time to—“  
  
“Go to her, Ben,” Rose said. “Show her all those things that she’s refusing to see. About you, about herself, about the two of you. This is the perfect time to let her know that she can count on you.” When Ben hesitated again, she added softly, “It’s the only thing holding her back.”  
  
Ben drew in a deep breath and finally stepped out of his car. “If this backfires, I’m blaming you,” he said, looking over at Rose.  
  
“Of course you will,” Rose retorted with a grin. “Avoid the house, go through the backyard gate. It’s on the left side of the—“  
  
“I know where it is.”  
  
Rose’s grin got even wider. “Of course you do.”  
  
Ben sent a half-smile in her direction before they turned in opposite directions. Ben headed into the backyard while Rose started her canvas of the neighbourhood.

* * *

Rey looked up hopefully when she heard the back gate open and the look of disappointment that came over her when she realized it wasn’t her son entering the yard broke Ben’s heart. She looked small and vulnerable sitting alone in her backyard.   
  
“I’m sorry that I’m not who you were expecting,” he said quietly as he approached her.  
  
She looked at him sadly. “Hi,” she managed to mutter before looking back down at the ground. “You didn’t have to come here. I mean, I can think of about fifty other places you’d rather be right now.”  
  
“Really?” Ben asked, settling himself down on the step next to her. “Because I can’t think of one.”  
  
Rey turned to look at him, looking a bit surprised by his answer. “After last night...the way that I acted...”  
  
“Last night was last night,” he said softly, reaching up to rub her back. “Today is what’s important.”  
  
“Yeah,” Rey agreed and looked back down at her hands. An uncomfortable silence fell between them and she felt the urge to end it. “You don’t have to sit out here with me. If you want to go inside, I’m sure that Detective Dameron can find you something more proactive to do.”  
  
“Okay,” Ben said, but made no move to stand up. “So Dameron is pulling out all the stops, hmm?”  
  
Rey exhaled softly. “He’s in super cop mode. It won’t be long before he starts making up fliers and calling in the national guard.”  
  
He could tell that she was trying to make light of her friend’s over-reaction to the situation, but she was doing a really bad job of it. Her face and her entire demeanor betrayed the forced light tone in her voice.  
  
Taking her hand in his, he squeezed it. “Matt’s probably just off sulking somewhere. Rose told me that you guys had a bit of a knock-down, drag-out argument.”

Rey nodded in agreement. “He was really mad at me. He’s been mad at me a lot lately, but this morning...” Her voice trailed off and he could hear the guilt coming through.

“He’s going to be okay,” Ben said quickly. “He’s a smart kid. He’s not going to do anything too stupid.”  
  
“Like running away?” she shot back. Ben let out a deep breath in response and she looked away. “When he was a baby, he was what got me through losing Zane. He was the reason I got up every morning. He’s the reason I still get up every morning.”  
  
“That’s obvious,” Ben said quietly. “Because that kid is exactly who you raised him to be.”  
  
Rey surprised him by letting out a humourless laugh and shook her head. “You give me too much credit.” She looked over at him, her voice sad. “I didn’t make things easy on him. I dumped him off on Maz so that I could finish college and follow all of _my_ dreams. And then I topped that off by packing him up and taking him away from the only home he had ever known so that we could jet off to London.”

He stared down at their entwined fingers. Her hand looked small and delicate against his and he felt a surge of protectiveness. “I think you’re being a little too hard on yourself.”  
  
“Really?” she asked sarcastically. “Because I don’t think I’m being hard enough.” She shook her head again. “He never once complained. About anything. He never once in ten years said, ‘_Mom, this isn’t what I want. I don’t want to leave Rochester. I don’t want to go to a school where I don’t know anyone.’ _He just innocently trusted in me and the decisions I made for us.”  
  
“Because he loves you,” Ben reminded her. “And he knew you would always do what was best for him.”  
  
“And now he finally wanted something for himself and I refused to give it to him,” Rey continued, as if she hadn’t even heard Ben’s words. “Not only did I refuse to give it to him, I refused to even consider it or see it from his point of view.”  
  
“What did he want?” Ben asked in confusion.  
  
Rey turned to look at him. “You," she whispered, tears filling her eyes. “He wanted you.”  
  
“Me?”  
  
“In case you haven’t noticed,” Rey said with a soft squeeze of her hand. “My child is crazy about you. Every other sentence out of his mouth is Dr. Ben this or Dr. Ben that. He thinks you walk on water.”  
  
“Finally,” Ben teased, trying to get a smile out of her. “Someone who agrees with me.” Not only did he get a smile, but Rey actually let out a small giggle that made his heart sing. “I’m pretty crazy about him, too,” he said quietly. “Just in case you had any doubts about that.”  
  
“I didn’t,” she said truthfully and then let out a sigh. “But he has completely fallen in love with you and he wants me to follow his lead.”  
  
“Is that what you fought about this morning?”  
  
Rey nodded. “He was so mad at me for screwing things up last night.” She lowered her head. “He told me that he hated me,” she whispered. Ben inhaled sharply as she continued, “And that I had ruined everything.”  
  
“He didn’t mean—“  
  
“Yes, he did,” she cut him off. “He wouldn’t have said it otherwise.”  
  
“He was angry,” Ben corrected her. “We all say and do things that we regret when we’re angry.”  
  
“I don’t know,” Rey said, shaking her head sadly. “He had all these big plans for us. He was going to move you in and he’d finally get the father figure he’d waited his whole life for.”  
  
The tears that she had tried so hard to keep inside finally found their way down her cheeks. “And then we gave him so much hope when you stayed over the other night, and he finally thought things were going his way when we went out to dinner last night...” Rey looked up at him. “And then he woke up this morning to find out that his mother had ruined everything.”  
  
Ben put his arm around her. “You didn’t ruin everything,” he said softly. “In fact, you didn’t ruin anything at all.”  
  
“That’s not what Matt thinks.”  
  
“Well, Matt is wrong,” Ben reassured her. “And when we find him, we can set him straight.”  
  
“What if we don’t find him?” And there it was. Rey’s greatest fear. And now she had finally voiced it out loud.  
  
Pulling her closer to him, Ben knew it was not the time to dismiss her fears. But he certainly didn’t want to encourage them either. “You and Matt are going to get through this. You know that, because that's what the two of you do. That's how you are together.” He carefully stroked her hair as she turned her face toward his chest. “You always face things head on and you taught him how to do that, too. And you never let anything get in the way of the love that you two have together. Not even this.”  
  
Rey was quiet for a few moments as they simply sat there and held each other. “You know, when you put your mind to it, you give a mighty fine pep talk,” she finally said softly.  
  
Ben smiled. “I think I even surprised myself with that one.”  
  
“I’m glad I was here to be on the receiving end of it,” Rey teased, smiling in spite of her fear and sadness.  
  
“I am, too.”  
  
They sat silently again for a few more minutes before Rey shook her head. “I just want to do something besides sit here. I want to go find him.”  
  
“So, let’s go.”  
  
“Detective Dameron wants me to stay here,” she informed him. “In case Matt wanders back here or someone finds him and brings him home.”  
  
“Well, let’s think about this,” Ben began. “Rose said that Paige and Dominic are searching the football field, Jannah went to the arcade, Kaydel is at the library, and Hux and Mitaka are on their way to the park. But you’re his mother, you know him better than anyone. Where do you think he would go when he’s this upset?”  
  
“I don’t know,” Rey said helplessly, covering her face with her hands. “He’s never been this upset before.”  
  
“Okay,” Ben tried again, letting out a deep breath. “Well, then, where do _you_ go when you’re upset? A place that makes you feel better. Maybe he’d go there?”  
  
“I drive around,” Rey said. “Matt can’t drive—“ She stopped suddenly and looked up at Ben with wide, teary eyes. “I know where he is.”  
  
Ben smiled and stood up, reaching back for her hand. “Let’s go.”


	17. Chapter 17

Rey clutched tightly to Ben's hand as they made their way through the park and then gave it a small squeeze as she recognized the small figure sitting hunched over on one of the swings, absently playing in the dirt below him with the toe of his sneaker.

"I don't know whether I want to hug him or shake him," she whispered. 

Ben smiled down at her. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

Rey stood rooted to her spot for a moment and simply watched her son from a short distance. With the wind blowing gently through his light brown hair and the child-like way he swayed back and forth on the swing, he reminded her so much of Zane. But he wasn't Zane, he was just a little boy. Her little boy. Who just wanted to ride on the swings and have a life like everyone else his age. But the little boy she had known had long since grown up and he didn't have a life like everyone else's. His dad was dead, his mom was an overprotective neurotic, and he knew more about the sadness and loneliness that life had to offer than most boys his age.

Matt looked up suddenly and looked over his shoulder when he heard Rey step on a dried twig as she made her way toward him. For a moment, she wondered if he would run and make her chase after him as he did when he was little. But he didn't run. He simply looked back down into the dirt at his feet as she carefully settled into the swing next to his. Neither spoke for a few tense moments.

"So, you found me," he muttered simply, sounding a bit defeated.

Rey nodded. "One of us was bound to find you."

"One of us?" Matt repeated, looking over at his mother curiously.

"You, little man," Rey informed him. "Have been the subject of one of the biggest manhunts in Rochester history. Detective Dameron has sent troops out all over the city."

"Really?" Matt asked, trying and failing to mask the excitement in his voice, before looking back down at the ground. "I thought I heard some people calling for me a little while ago," he mumbled.

"That was probably Hux and Mitaka," she told him. "Why didn't you answer them when you heard them calling?"

"I wasn't ready to be found," Matt replied with a shrug.

"Are you ready to be found now?" Rey asked, resisting the urge to smile at the simplicity of his answer.

"That depends."

"On?"

He finally looked back up at Rey. "Are you mad at me?" he asked slowly.

"You scared me to death, Matthew," Rey said, resisting the urge to reach out and hug him. "I have been so worried about you."

"That's not what I asked," Matt said. "Are you mad at me?"

Rey exhaled softly. "I know that when you're ten years old, it seems like there's a simple answer for every question. And that's what got us into this mess in the first place. But the truth is, there isn't always an easy answer." She looked over at him to see if he understood, but he was looking back at the ground again. "I should be mad at you. I really should be. Because you said some awful things to me earlier and then disappeared without an explanation. And then you sent everyone who cares about you into a tailspin as they searched for you while I sat in the backyard and imagined all of these horrible things that could have happened to you. But right now, I can't be mad at you, because I love you and I'm so glad that none of those things I imagined came true." He nodded silently, but still didn't look up at her, so she added quickly, "But that doesn't mean that I won't be mad in a couple hours."

Matt nodded again, and then looked over his shoulder at Ben who had pulled up the collar of his jacket to ward off the wind, and talking to someone on his cell phone. "What is Dr. Ben doing here?"

"He was worried about you, too." Rey thought she caught the hint of a grin come over his face, but he hid it quickly.

"How did you know where to find me?"

"I know that this is your thinking spot," Rey reminded him. "And I figured that you have a lot to think about."

They were both silent for a few more moments.

"I was thinking about dad," Matt said quietly. "Do you ever think about him?"

Rey smiled, like it was practiced, like she'd been preparing for this moment her entire life. And she almost had it down, she could almost get through it without crying or without a hitch in her voice. "Of course," she said softly, finally reaching out and caressing a hand over his cold cheek. "Of course I do, Matt."

"Me, too." He nodded solemnly, looking out over the deserted playground. "Do you think he's watching us?"

"Every moment of every day," Rey told him quietly, letting her hand drop away from his face to take his small hand in hers. "He's just waiting for us," she said, squeezing it slightly. "And he'll be there to meet us when it's the right time." She recited her answer like this was some kind of fairy tale. Zane was becoming a fable or a myth, a sad story from a time in his life that Matt will never remember.

Matt twisted in his swing, craning his neck so he could look up into her eyes. "Will he know me when he sees me?"

"Like the back of his hand." Rey forced the smile again, and this time it was warm, sincere.

"Will he be proud of me?"

"Extremely proud," Rey whispered, blinking back the tears. "I don't think that there's a father that could possibly be prouder of his son." She sighed deeply. "I'm not so sure he'll be too proud of me, though," she said, without thinking.

"Why not?"

Suddenly realizing that she had given voice to her private thoughts, Rey blinked again and then decided to level with him. "Before your dad died, he made me promise to live for all of us. You, me, and him," she said softly, looking directly into her son's curious blue eyes. "And I'm afraid that I haven't been doing a very good job of that. I promised that I would never be afraid to take risks and never lose hope. He wanted me to live life to the fullest and I'm not really doing that."

"What are you afraid of, Mom?" Matt asked earnestly, his hand still clasped in hers.

"I think you know the answer to that one." She smiled sadly down at him. "You have been lecturing me about it for weeks."

"Love?" he asked. "Are you afraid to love Dr. Ben?"

Rey nodded. "I'm afraid of having my heart broken, afraid of feeling as sad as I did when your dad died," she whispered.

Another silence settled over them before Matt simply said, "Well, that's just silly."

Rey couldn't hold in the chuckle that burst forth from within her at his words, and she reached up to tousle his hair. "Yes, I guess it is. But I have learned that sometimes life is fragile. It can be taken, or created, in the blink of an eye. And love is fragile, too. It could change my life for the better, or for the worse."

"So," Matt surmised. "I'm not supposed to love you because one day you're going to die and break my heart?"

Rey's head shot up as his words slammed right into her heart. "Matthew! That is not what—" But her protests died on her lips as she examined the face of the child she loved most in this world. "How did you get so smart?"

"My mom taught me," he answered with a grin. "She's pretty smart, too."

"Not always, apparently," Rey muttered. "I'm sorry that these past several weeks have been rough on you. I guess that I was so busy trying to protect us that I didn't stop to listen—"

"Why do you think you have to protect me from Dr. Ben?" Matt interrupted. "He's my friend."

"I know," she said defeatedly. "And I don't have a good answer to that one. You see, Matt, when a woman becomes a mother, reason and sanity either go out the window or become very important. I wanted to make all the right choices for you. I wanted to make up for making so many bad choices for you. I wanted to save you from the bullies on the playground, from people who would try to break your heart."

"You can't."

"I know," Rey whispered, and this time it was her turn to look down at the ground.

"I can take care of myself, Mom," Matt reassured her. "But I think it's about time that someone took care of you for a change."

Rey looked up at him, but before she could answer him, as if on cue, Ben said quietly, "I couldn't agree more."

The pair had been so lost in conversation that neither one of them had heard him come over.

"Hey, Dr. Ben," Matt said, nodding to him.

"Hey, buddy," Ben said, looking down at him. "Are you okay?" Matt nodded and he turned his attention to Rey. "And what about you?"

"I'm okay, too."

"Good," Ben said, clapping his hands together. "Because it's really cold out here. So now that everyone is okay, let's get back in the warm car that will take us back to the warm house."

"Sounds good," Rey agreed, standing up. "I have to call—"

"Already taken care of," Ben interrupted, ignoring Rey's surprised look. "He's already rounding up the troops."

"Thank you," she said, reaching out to squeeze his arm.

Ben smiled. "You're welcome." He looked down at Matt, who was still sitting on the swing. "Why don't you go on back to the car, Rey. Matt and I will catch up with you."

Rey looked back and forth between Matt and Ben and then pursed her lips. "Guy stuff?"

Ben nodded in affirmation and Rey resisted the urge to argue as she slowly made her way back to the car.

When she was out of earshot, Ben settled himself down on her vacated swing. "Running away probably wasn't the brightest move you've ever made."

Matt looked back down at the pattern he had been making in the dirt with his sneaker. "I know," he mumbled.

"Your mom was really worried."

"She told me."

"Don't do that to her again, okay?" Ben reprimanded, watching Matt closely. "She doesn't deserve it."

"She just drives me nuts sometimes," Matt protested, finally looking up Ben. "She—"

"Is your mom," Ben interrupted, cutting off his protests. "And she's a pretty good one."

"Yeah," Matt muttered, realizing that Ben wasn't going to take his side on this one.

"And not every kid has a good mom," Ben continued. "I didn't realize just how good my mom was until it was too late." Matt looked over at him as he continued, "I didn't always realize that she was always looking out for my best interests, even when I didn't agree with her, and I gave her a hard time about a lot of things. But I know now that it was really hard for her to let me grow up and stop trying to protect me all the time." He reached over to squeeze Matt's shoulder. "It's really hard to stand back and let someone you love go their own way. You need to cut her some slack."

Matt nodded. "Do you think I'm going to get in big trouble for this?" he asked quietly, looking over his shoulder in the direction Rey had gone.

Ben chuckled. "I'll see if I can talk her down from a huge grounding, okay?"

"So, since you came here with my mom, does that mean things are okay between you guys?"

Ben nodded. "But okay doesn't mean everything that you want it to mean...okay?"

"What does it mean?"

"It means that your mom needs to take things slow, and you and I need to accept that," Ben informed him. "So, you need to back off a little and not give her so much grief about falling in love with me. You can't make people fall in love with each other."

"I know, I know," Matt said. "My mom said the same thing." He then smiled slyly up at him. "See? You two are already thinking alike. That's a good sign."

Ben shook his head and clapped a hand on Matt's back as he stood up. "You are shameless, kid."

"That's me," Matt said, standing up and falling into step with Ben as they headed back to the car. "But, she really does need someone to take care of her sometimes."

"And you think I'm the right man for the job?" Ben asked, raising his eyebrows.

Matt grinned up at him. "Most definitely."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, the trio entered the living room to find Rose sitting on the couch, flipping through a magazine. 

She jumped up when she saw them. "I was so worried about you, kiddo," she said, pulling Matt into a hug. "We all were. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Matt mumbled against her chest. "I just needed to think. You guys didn't need to freak out."

"We didn't need to freak out?" Rose asked, pulling him even closer. "Of course we needed to freak out. Do you know what kind of weirdos live in this city?"

Matt pulled back from the embrace. "I'm sorry if I made you worry."

"I'm just glad you're all right," Rose said, tousling his hair. She then looked over at Rey. "When I heard that Matt was safe and sound, I stopped by the bakery to pick up a lemon bundt cake for the homecoming crisis pow-wow."

"But the crisis is over," Rey pointed out, draping her arm around Matt's shoulders. "In fact, he's standing right here."

"Actually, both crises are," Rose said, her eyes focused on Ben. "How convenient."

Matt followed Rose's stare and then promptly grinned up at him. "Dr. Ben is not a crisis anymore, Aunt Rose. They're going to take things slow."

Rey frowned. "We are?" she asked, looking first at Matt and then up at Ben.

"I mean, if that's all right with you," Ben mumbled, shifting uncomfortably. 

"It might be all right with me," Rey said sharply, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him. "If you had chosen to discuss it with me before bringing it up with my son."

"Mom!" Matt said in a warning voice. "You're doing it again. You're not—"

Rose clamped both of her hands down on Matt's shoulders and forcibly steered him in the direction of the kitchen. "Don't you love lemon bundt cake, Matt?"

"No, I—"

Matt's sputtering did no good as Rose herded him into the kitchen. "Yes, I think a nice big piece of lemon bundt cake would be perfect right now, and it has a lemon glaze on top. The only thing I love more than lemon bundt cake is lemon bundt cake with lemon glaze." She glanced over her shoulder at Ben and Rey. "Now while you two lovebirds sort this whole thing out, I'm going to fill your child's big mouth with lemon cake and keep him occupied until you both come to your senses."

"Rose..." Rey began with a sigh, but she was quickly cut off.

"But we'll be listening from the kitchen, so talk loud."

Rey shook her head and couldn't keep from chuckling as she motioned for Ben to follow her to the front door and out onto the porch. She sighed, settling down on the step and looked out onto her neighbourhood. Not sure what was going to happen next, Ben sat quietly next to her and waited for her to begin.

"I want you to know how much what you did today meant to me," she said quietly.

"What did I do?"

"Kept me sane," she answered quickly. "In the backyard, in the park, and with whatever you said to Matt on the swings before you two came back to the car."

"I—"

"No," Rey said, putting her hand up to stop his explanation. "I don't want to know. It was between the two of you."

He looked at her curiously. "Are you sure about that?"

She let out a deep breath and then looked at him with a smile. "No," she admitted, as she leaned over and rested her head on his shoulder. "But I'm trying."

"I know it's hard for you to let go a little."

"He's my baby," Rey whispered. 

"No, he's not," Ben corrected, softly but firmly. "He's your young man. And a pretty great one, for that matter."

Rey lifted her head and looked at him. "You're not a parent, so you can't begin to understand. So just trust me when I tell you that you're wrong on this one. He's still my baby. Even when he's all grown with babies of his own, he will always be my baby."

"I think I've heard that before," Ben said. "You know what else I've been told?" Rey shook her head and he smiled. "Men respect their wives and they spoil their mistresses, but the only women they love are their mothers."

"And who told you that?"

Ben's smiled widened. "My mother," he said promptly.

Rey laughed and suddenly stood up, stepping down from the porch. His dark eyes watched as she walked across the yard and picked up one of Matt's baseballs from where it was nestled in the grass. She brought it back to the porch and got a faraway look in her eyes. "I wasn't always this paranoid, you know? From the first moment that I learned that I was pregnant, I took the title 'mother' and wore it like a badge of honour. Of pride and of privilege. It's my life's work to nurture and teach and feed and clothe and protect and discipline and defend and foster and shelter and shield and instruct and everything else that comes along with having that sweet child in my life." She absently traced the red laces of the baseball with her fingers. "And anything less than all of that is a failure, a failure to Zane, a failure to Matt, a failure to everything I am, or try to be."

"But you haven't failed," Ben reassured her. "Not even close."

"I know," Rey said quietly and then shrugged. "But children, they change you, you know?"

"Not really," he reminded her with a half grin, raising his eyebrow at her.

Remembering who she was talking to, she smiled. "I haven't always been this worried and scared of my own shadow. I was once a kick-ass chick." They both chuckled at her description before she continued, "I mean, I was taught very early on how to take care of myself and for the first eighteen years of my life I knew very little fear." She glanced up at the window that Matt had climbed out of earlier that day. "But the most terrifying thing I've ever done is send Matt out into the world, time and time again," she said softly. "A world that is not always kind to people who are different, or who they think are different. And that kind of constant fear, that low level anxiety changes you after a while. And the most dreadful thing of all is that I've let it change me. I've let it make me afraid of things that most people are desperately searching for." She looked up at him tenderly. "It's made me afraid of you," she whispered.

Ben was silent for a few minutes before he exhaled softly. "I guess when you look at it that way, I am kind of scary," he admitted quietly. Rey looked at him with surprise in her eyes, which was quickly replaced with gratitude. "And I have nothing to offer you to get you to trust me besides my word. My word that these last several weeks that I have spent with you and Matt have been like nothing I've ever experienced. You filled up a part of me that I didn't even know was missing. And you're right, I don't know what it's like to be a parent. To be responsible for the lives and hearts of someone other than myself. And not just any someone, but two of the most important someones to come my way in a very long time." He took a deep breath and then took the plunge. "But I'm willing to try. And not just try, but work really hard at it. I'm willing to find out if I can be the man that takes care of you and Matt." He paused and stood up to face her, gently pulling her into his arms. "If you'll let me."

Rey looked up into his earnest face and moved closer to him. "I don't want to be afraid anymore. I want to try, too. I want to try with you." A huge smile spread across his face and she quickly added, "But you have to mean what you said to Matt about being willing to take it slow. I mean, you're not just going to move in and have Matt call you, Daddy in the first week. I can't do that. I don't work that way."

"Okay," Ben agreed, nodding his head. "I can handle those terms. If you can handle a few of mine." He grinned wickedly at her and leaned in to outline his terms for her when they heard a familiar voice shout out, "Kiss him already, Mom!"

Rey leaned her forehead against Ben's chin and turned her head to see Matt and Rose standing at the open front door peering out at them. "He's so grounded," she muttered.

"We're going to have to discuss a few terms for him, too," Ben said with a chuckle. "But, he's a smart kid and he does have a—"

Before he could finish his statement, Rey's soft lips were pressed against his in a tentative kiss. Fingers slid into his hair, holding him in place while she kissed him gently. By the time she traced his lips with the tip of her tongue, Ben was returning the kiss, leaving her light-headed when he parted his lips and started to glide his tongue along hers. Slowly, he lifted his hands to stroke down her back, to grip her hips, pulling her close, and she moaned against his mouth. 

"I said kiss him, not devour him!" Matt called out. He then shook his head and looked up at Rose. "I guess I have to be more careful about what I wish for, huh?" he muttered.

Rose put her arm around him with a laugh. "Actually, kiddo, I think this time it's going work out great for all of you. If you can get used to seeing your mom truly happy."

Matt grinned as he watched his mom and Dr. Ben walk up the porch steps hand in hand. "Yeah, I think I could get used to that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're almost at the end. One more chapter to go. <3


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now I know the last chapter had a pretty happy ending, but this is like the cherry on top of the sundae. Total and utter fluff and happiness. To the extreme. Enjoy!

_Eighteen months later..._

Ben reached over to pick his phone up off of the table by his side of the bed, and glanced at the display before rubbing at his tired eyes in frustration. The sun was not far from coming up, and he'd yet to get even a wink of sleep. Instead, he'd found himself staring at the ceiling most of the night, visions of possible proposals dancing in his head. Turning his head in Rey's direction, he felt his heart swell as he took in the sight of her soundly sleeping beside him, her cheek smushed against the pillow and lips pushed together in an adorable little puckering pout. 

"You're so incredibly beautiful," he murmured quietly, running his fingertips lightly across the swell of her cheekbone. Sometimes she looked so fragile and young. No one would guess the kind of strength she possessed simply by measuring her appearance. He froze when Rey let out a little sigh, as she mumbled something incoherent in her sleep. He released a slow breath, relieved that he hadn't woken her up. He always had loved how she looked when she was sleeping - innocent, free from all worry and heartache. But he also loved the way she looked when she was freshly woken up just as much, her skin bare and glowing, her hair tousled from sleep, her eyes warm and soft as she slowly blinked them open, a lazy smile spreading languidly across her face.

He wanted to wake up to that beautiful sight every morning and he wanted to hold her in his arms every night. She was his beginning and she was his end. Now he just had to ask her to be his everything in between. His wandering thoughts were brought to an abrupt end when Rey cuddled up into the crook of his body. And when she loosely looped one arm around his waist, and placed her cheek upon his chest, directly over his heart, he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to not waste one more second trying to think of some perfect way to ask her to marry him. 

Acting on instinct and impulse, Ben touched her arm, hoping to jolt her into consciousness. "Rey," he prodded in a loud whisper.

Stirring slightly at the sound of his voice, Rey rolled onto her back and scrunched up her nose.

Ben smiled at her reaction, his adrenaline racing at what he was about to do. "Come on, Rey," he prompted anxiously, bringing a hand up to her cheek. "You need to wake up," he said, gently rubbing her cheek as he spoke.

"No..." Rey whined, a little whimpering sound sliding out from the back of her throat, as she batted his hand away.

Ben let out a noise of both exasperation and amusement as he shook her shoulder. "Stop pouting and get up already."

"I don't want to," she groaned in irritation, once again swatting his hand away.

"Well, too bad," he told her, brushing her hair from her forehead. "You need to wake up."

Rey finally opened her eyes and blinked blearily up at him. "Ben?" she whispered, her voice still raspy from sleep. "What's going on?"

"Marry me," he blurted out, not prefacing his proposal with any sort of precursor.

Rey simply stared at him blankly, looking disoriented. "Huh?" she asked groggily, holding onto her head as if to clear out the fog.

"I want you to marry me," Ben said in a rush.

Rey propped herself up on her elbows. "You woke me up in the middle of the night so you could propose to me?" she asked incredulously, still convinced she must be misunderstanding him somehow.

His eyes widened as the reality of what he'd, on instinct, so impulsively done fully hit him. This was definitely not the perfect proposal he'd been trying to plan for Rey. Not even close. His mind frantically raced as his heart suddenly slammed against his ribs violently. What was he supposed to do? Say never mind and hope that she would forget about this in the morning? Because, obviously, that wouldn't work. And, honestly, he didn't want it to. Yes, this might be about as far from a perfect proposal as a proposal could possibly get, but he didn't want to wait for perfection. 

"Yes," Ben said, dragging one hand through his hair. "I mean, I, yeah, pretty much woke you up to propose," he stuttered out hastily, tripping over his tongue.

Suddenly finding himself frazzled and wholly unprepared for this moment, he abruptly jumped up off of the bed, and began pacing back and forth as he struggled to get his bearings back. Even as that thought occurred to him, though, he shook his head ruefully. He hadn't lost his bearings just now. He'd lost them about a year and a half earlier, when a pretty brunette crashed into his car. The moment he'd met Rey, his world had been completely and irrevocably turned onto its head. But it hadn't been turned upside down, it had been turned right side up.

Ben narrowed his eyes and tried to read her reaction. She didn't look happy, or upset or any other decipherable emotion, save for stunned. Biting his lip, he slowly made his way back to the bed, feeling the need to touch her. He reached out and cradled her face in his hands, his eyes intense and unwavering as he met her gaze. "I want to marry you. I want to promise you forever, because the truth is that it's already yours. I want to introduce you to people as my wife," he confessed earnestly, a little smile ghosting his lips at the thought of it. "And I want to hear you tell people that I'm your husband."

Rey's eyes began to glisten as she sucked in a deep breath.

"I never knew I could love someone the way that I love you," His eyes shone brightly. "I love you more than anything, with every part of me, good and bad," he said softly, his thumb caressing her cheek. "I love you more than I'll ever be able to explain to you." He gave a helpless little shrug. "No words could ever fully capture the way you make me feel. No words could even begin to do it justice."

Rey felt like her heart would burst in that moment, his love for her was so palpable she felt it all around her, his warmth touching every part of her.

Ben leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "You know that you changed my life, right?" he whispered, closing his eyes as he took in the feel of her warm skin against his. "You taught me what's worthwhile and what's important in life. You showed me how to love again. I'd shut my heart away before I met you. I kept it buried so it would never have a chance to get broken again."

Knowing how true his words were and how accurately they also described the way she'd spent many years of her own life, Rey lifted a hand and tenderly caressed his cheek. Ben reached up and pressed his hand atop hers, as she looked deeply into his eyes. "I can't even begin to tell you..." she trailed off when her throat tightened with emotion. She blew out a shaky breath and tried to find her voice again, but the words simply wouldn't come. Finally, she just shook her head and pulled his hand down to her mouth, so she could press a kiss upon his palm, hoping the sweet gesture gave him insight into what she was feeling.

Ben frowned, unable to read her, his nerves getting the best of him. Why the hell hadn't she given him an answer yet? He didn't realize he'd spoken out loud until he heard Rey let out a laugh.

"You haven't actually asked me anything yet," she pointed out in amusement.

His cheeks flushed sheepishly when he realized that she was right, that he'd told her to marry him, but that he'd never really asked her to. He inhaled shakily, taking her face in his hands once more. "I want you to be my wife, Rey. More than I've ever wanted anything else in my entire life," he whispered, placing his heart trustingly in her hands. "Will you marry me?"

Rey opened her mouth to reply, to tell him that, yes, she would marry him, but before she could get anything out, he was talking once again, barely even bothering to pause for breath.

"I can't promise I won't be an ass sometimes, or say something stupid occasionally, because really, I'd just be lying if I did that," Ben rambled, too caught up to even notice she was trying to say something.

"Ben—"

"But if you'll marry you, I promise I'll do my best to make you as happy as you make me, and—"

"Ben—"

"And I promise I'll change the toilet paper roll when it's empty. I know that you hate it when I don't—"

Rey let out an exasperated laugh as Ben kept on babbling nervously, not registering her attempts to cut him short, so she grabbed hold of his shoulders and kissed him. His eyes went almost comically wide for a moment before closing them as he threaded his fingers into her hair, and returned the kiss.

"Yes," she whispered against his lips.

Ben pulled back, feeling like he'd been knocked over the head with a brick and blinked at her stupidly for several long seconds. "I...um...excuse me?" he stuttered out uncertainly, still flustered and thrown from the kiss.

"I said, yes," Rey repeated with a tearful smile, her voice brimming with pure elation.

Ben drew in a sharp breath. "Yes, as in yes, you'll marry me?"

Rey nodded vehemently. He gazed at her for a moment, and then grinned, before pushing her back against the bed and lowering his head to kiss her again, slowly and deeply so that time seemed to stand still. They go on like that for several long moments, until she suddenly felt him, hot and hard against her.

Ben lifted his head to look down at her. "We need to remember this moment," he said, eyes gleaming. "Our first time having sex as an engaged couple."  
  
Rey laughed, taken with his smile, and pulled him down toward her again, but he abruptly pulled back with wide, frantic eyes as if suddenly something occurred to him. "What? What's wrong?" she asked, her gaze darting about his face searchingly.

Ben heaved himself off the bed, and headed for the closet. His erection tented his pajama bottoms in an almost obscene way, and she grinned, so happy that it almost felt like a dream. Rey couldn't see him, but she heard him rooting around, heard his muffled curses when something fell to the ground with a thud. A moment later, though, he emerged from the shadows, and there was a small velvet box in his hand, and suddenly all of this became very real. He crouched on the floor beside her side of the bed and reached for her hand. She was embarrassed to find that it was shaking, but she told herself that was normal and Ben didn't even seem to notice. He slid the ring on her finger, but she didn't even look at it, keeping her teary gaze locked on his the entire time.  
  
"Just like I thought," he whispered. "Perfect fit."  
  
Rey finally looked down at her hand. The tears in her eyes made it impossible to really make out the details of the ring, so she only saw a flash of platinum, the brightness of a diamond. There would be time to appreciate its intricacies later, but right now, she didn't care at all about the details. She cared that it was the ring Ben chose for her, that it was a symbol of their promise to each other, and that just wearing it, feeling its cool weight against her finger, made her feel like the luckiest woman in the world.  
  
"It's beautiful," she told him tearfully. 

Ben smiled, crawling back into the bed. "I love you," he whispered, kissing her gently. "You're everything that I've ever wanted. Marrying you? That's like icing on what's already the best cake ever."  
  
Rey reached up to stroke his cheek. "Sweet talker," she teased, and he took her hand, kissing her finger just below the ring.  
  
"You know what the best thing about my cake is, though?" Ben asked, and she shook her head. "I get to eat it, too."  
  
His mouth brushed across her jaw, trailing fire in his wake, and she dug her fingers into the hard muscle of his shoulders, clutching him to her. She sighed when he pulled her tank top off and dropped his head to her breasts. His tongue, as it moved over her, was sandpaper rough and fire hot, and it moved the ache in her up the scale from a trembling simmer to a full blown boil. She slid her hands over his back, while he finished undressing her, kissing his way down her body. He eased her thighs apart, and she moaned when he trailed his fingers over her sensitive skin and then followed it with his mouth. She lifted up against the sheets, but he held her hips firmly, his tongue and fingers exploring her until she cried out his name, her body spasming and clenching around the pressure of his fingers. 

Rey slid her hands into his hair, drawing him back up to her. She in turn pushed his pajama pants out of the way using her feet, until they were tangled around his ankles, effectively binding him. She felt him against her inner thigh, and she reached for it instinctively, her hand wrapping around it and gliding along it purposefully.

Ben hissed, his teeth flashing against her breast. He thrust into her hand for a moment, his hips moving jerkily, but then he pulled back. "I can't wait," he said, his voice rough. "I can't—"  
  
She nodded, bending her legs, feet flat against the bed, and squeezed his hips with her knees. He kept his eyes on hers as he entered her, and she tried to keep hers open, to maintain that connection when he began to move inside her, each thrust taking him deeper. She reached one hand behind her, gripping the headboard, the other she curled around the back of his neck, keeping him pressed to her as tightly as possible. Her ring flashed in the dimly lit bedroom, and she closed her eyes, arching into him.  
  
Ben slid a hand under her, pressing at the small of her back, so the angle changed, so he was even deeper inside her. She stretched her legs up, and wound them around his waist. She was wrapped around him, wrapped up in him, and nothing had ever felt better. She came suddenly, unexpectedly almost, crying out his name again as her body went rigid with pleasure. He paused, letting her ride it out, before he moved again, slowly at first then gaining speed once more. She stroked her hands down his body, first his shoulders, then his back, then lower as she urged him on. He groaned into the curve of her neck, shuddering his release, and she hugged him to her with her entire body, not wanting to let him go.

"I have a confession," she whispered, smoothing back his hair.

"Hmm?"

"I really like engaged sex."

He laughed, sounding winded. "Me too," he said. "But I'm not really picky. I like all kinds of sex with you."

* * *

_Seven years later... _

Rey rolled over in bed, hovering somewhere between sleep and consciousness, not quite awake, but not fully immersed in slumber anymore either, and reached out for her husband. But her hand landed softly on the empty pillow on his side of their bed. She opened her eyes and it took a moment for them to adjust to the darkness. Glancing at the clock on the bedside table, she realized that Ben shouldn't be awake yet.

Sitting up, Rey looked around their bedroom and knew that he wasn't in the bathroom because there was no light peeking through from underneath the door. She slowly lifted her tired body out of their warm and comfortable bed and padded out into the hallway to find him. She didn't have to go far. As she rounded the corner from their master bedroom, she stopped and smiled when she saw Ben leaning against the frame of Matt's bedroom door. Wearing only his pajama bottoms and with his hair still messy from sleep, he looked extremely sexy as he stood in silence, gazing into their son's room.

Ben was so engrossed in what was going on in Matt's room that he didn't see Rey watching him. She liked to watch him when he didn't know she was doing so, like when he was pouring over patient charts at the hospital, debating world politics with his uncle, or intently watching an NFL game on TV. Other times, she'd watch him as he sat quietly beside her on the couch, his eyes crinkling in concentration at a particularly gripping news item on his tablet, his thumb absently sweeping over the arch of her hand in a languid rhythm. Most of all, though, more than anything else in the entire world, she loved to watch him when he was with their children. She could still remember the way his eyes lit up with wonder the first time each of them called him Dad.

Rey continued to look at the man with whom she had spent the last eight years of her life and could not help but marvel at her good fortune. How many people ever get to say they met their true soulmate? How many people get to grow up with this person, experience the highs and lows of life, its dangers and its wonders, its darkness and its light? Life had woven the two of them together in a tapestry that could no longer be unraveled, secured by the threads of three extraordinary children.

As if he could feel her eyes on him, Ben glanced over his shoulder and smiled. He could always sense when she was near. He turned to her as she closed the distance between them and slipped into his arms. "I love you," she whispered into his chest, pressing her body against his. She could feel his heart drumming against her, knowing he could feel her heart doing the same dance.

Ben cupped her face, sweeping her cheek with his thumb, gently touching his lips to hers. "I love you, too," he whispered against her mouth.

Rey snuggled more firmly into his embrace as she turned her head to look into Matt's room, the hallway light casting a faint glow over the sweetest thing she had seen in a long time. "When did Alex come to sleep in here?" she whispered, as Ben rested his chin on top of her head.

He shrugged and Rey could hear the smile in his voice as he whispered, "We were lucky to get him to sleep at all, in his bed or anyone else's. After the excitement of Christmas Eve, coupled with the cookie coma he ate himself into tonight, I didn't think he would ever get to sleep. He was bouncing off the walls."

"I guess all he needed was his big brother," Rey mused softly, watching her two boys sleep together as if they didn't have a care in the world.

"I'm surprised Matt let him crawl into bed with him," Ben said quietly. "He usually doesn't have too much patience for Alex's antics."

Rey laughed softly and Alex stirred, turning in the direction of the noise. She bit her lip and looked sheepish as she and Ben slowly backed away from Matt's bedroom and pulled the door closed.

"Daddy? Mommy?"

Ben and Rey had no sooner turned to head back to their bedroom when a sleepy little voice stopped them in their tracks. They turned around to find Aria, her hair sticking out in all directions, standing in the middle of the hallway in her snowflakes pajamas. She seemed as if she was still half asleep and looked a little confused by her surroundings.

"I'll handle this one," Ben said, grinning down at Rey. "To make up for all of those two a.m. feedings I missed out on when I was working late at the hospital." He placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Go keep my side of the bed warm and I'll be there in a few minutes to return the favour," he whispered against her ear.

"Promise?" Rey said, a slow smile spreading over her lips. 

He winked at her, before turning his attention to his daughter standing in the hallway. "Hey, Princess, what are you doing up?"

Aria just stared at him and gave him a questioning look. "Did Santa come?" she asked, rubbing her sleepy eyes with her fists.

Ben chuckled and squatted down so that he was on her level. "No, it's the middle of the night. Go back to sleep."

"I'm not sleepy," Aria said, her demeanor contradicting her words.

"It's late, you need to sleep," Ben said. "I'll come wake you up when it's time to go downstairs and open presents." He scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to her bedroom. He was about to lay her down in the bed when she began to shake her head.

"Can I have a story?" she asked, her eyes silently pleading with him in the soft light given off by the night light.

Turning around and sitting in the rocking chair near the window, he cradled Aria in his arms. "Did I ever tell you about the night you and Alex were born?"

Aria shook her head and snuggled closer to Ben's chest as he gently began to rock in the chair. The swaying motion seemed to lull her back into drowsiness, as it always had when she was a baby, and Ben felt her squirm in his arms, trying to find a comfortable position. Soon he heard her breath begin to slow into a smooth, even rhythm.

"It was the middle of winter," Ben said quietly. "Mommy and Daddy were having a nice, romantic dinner when her water broke." He glanced down at the top of his daughter's head and chuckled. "Doesn't that sound funny? Mommy's water broke?"

Aria giggled softly as Ben continued, "Mommy and I rushed out of the restaurant, but it was snowing so hard that we couldn't get to the hospital and we knew that you and Alex weren't going to wait for the ambulance to come get us. We were so scared, but so excited to see you. We'd waited nine months for you. It seemed like forever, but then before we knew it, there you were." He closed his eyes and listened to Aria's steady breathing. "And I knew I had to help Mommy bring you into the world. So, there we were in the backseat of my car..." He shook his head at the memory. "We didn't think you would ever come out. You seemed determined to make it as hard for Mommy as possible, but then you finally did, and I didn't think it would be possible for something to be so perfect." 

Ben looked down at his daughter and realized that she had fallen asleep. Carefully, he stood from the rocking chair and walked back to the bed, laying her down as gently and tucking the covers over her.

Rey was waiting outside the bedroom when Ben came out into the hall, having heard the entire exchange. "Is she asleep?" she whispered.

He nodded his answer, and took her hand as they headed toward their bedroom, but Rey had another idea in mind. She pushed him back against the wall, her weight on him and her eyes dancing with mischief. "Have I told you lately that there is nothing sexier in this world than a man who allows himself to be completely vulnerable while putting his daughter to sleep?" she whispered, her breath tickling his ear.

"Mmm-hmm," he hummed, as she pressed up closer against him. It was the only sound he could manage at the moment. "But tell me again."

Her breathless laughter mingled with his and he kissed her, deep and demanding. They kissed until she couldn't remember anything outside of the soft scratch of his five o'clock shadow, his wandering touch, and the feel of his shoulders under her hands. But mostly she felt his mouth and hers, the many ways they could fit together, and the sweet taste of him on her tongue. By the time they pulled away to catch their breath, they had almost forgotten that they were still in the hallway.

"Did you ever think we'd be this happy?" Rey asked softly. "In your wildest of dreams, did you ever imagine this?"

Ben looked down at her lovingly and reached out to brush a lock of hair away from her face. "No," he said truthfully. "I never wanted any of this. Until this single mom literally crashed her way into my life one day. I was never the same after that."

"Me neither," she admitted, leaning up to kiss him again, a kiss full of wonder and promise and all the things yet to come. When they broke apart, she smiled at him, the smile she reserved only for him.

Ben reached out, and traced the curve of her mouth. "What are you thinking about?" he asked. "With this smile on your face?"  
  
"Nothing really." Rey shrugged. "Well, Willy Wonka actually."  
  
"Willy Wonka?" he repeated, furrowing his brow. "The movie about the crazy guy who owns the chocolate factory?"  
  
Rey nodded. "I wasn't thinking about Willy Wonka specifically," she said. "It's a quote at the end of the movie that I was considering."  
  
"What's the quote?"  
  
"Just after Willy gives Charlie the factory, he tells him, 'Don't forget what happened to the man who suddenly got everything he always wanted.'"  
  
"What happened to him?" Ben asked, tilting his head curiously.  
  
Rey smiled, taking his hand as she led him back to their bedroom. "He lived happily ever after."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it ends. I hope you enjoyed reading Off Guard as much as I did writing it. Thank you to everyone who left comments and kudos, as well as bookmarking this story. I appreciate it so much. <3


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